Inside Her Mind
by Raine Delmont
Summary: A saiya-jin, Skillet trying to cope with a second side to her.
1. A lone sorceress...

It's basically about Skillet, a saiya-jin/sorceress and the darker side of her, battling for control over a powerful stone. Goten is involved for a while, Trunks will also be in the story along with Goku. Most of the characters are made by me, but any DBZ character I obviously don't own. Enjoy!  
  
  
***  
  
Skillet skipped gently along the sidewalk, humming softly to herself a sweet melody as her gaze wandered along the view of a lovely day. Her golden strands of hair swirled gently in the faint breeze that pushed past her, her violet eyes sparkling with sunlight. She was clothed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a powder blue shirt, navy sparkled flames dancing upon it. She had her traditional blue and black knuckle gloves on, her ebony boot pulled on over her feet.  
  
She was a young woman, now almost nineteen and with powers that barely anyone else her age could ever dream of. She had friends, too... But why did she feel so lonely all the time? She kept to herself most of the time unless it meant talking to Goten, Trunks, or Suave... The few people closest to her.  
  
She was heading off to Goku's house, Goten's father. She was hoping to catch Goten there before he ran off with Trunks for their regular sparring lessons. Goten was her best friend, even if he was younger than her. Trunks, Goten, and she were the closest group. She would do just about anything for them, anything to make them happy. She was almost positive they would do the same for her. They were the only ones that seemed to understand her, seemed to except her for what she was... Except for Suave.  
  
A sorceress, that's what she was ever since she was a child. Her power was given to her by a dying sorceress, Manikia. She had been only three, not really given a choice and no actual way to defend herself against the intruding power. She had pushed back all the bad, though... Trying to let only the few goods of the magic surface. She wasn't just a sorceress, though...  
  
An orphaned Saiya-jin... She had no idea how she made it to this planet. But she was a full blood Saiya-jin and after her ship crashed, she was left simply crying, all alone. That's when she met him... Suave, the Ultimate Kai. He had a certain obsession with the outside and he had been on one of his daily walks when her heard her cries. He took her in for a while before handing her off to Goku. She visited him every chance she got, though, and over time her began to train her. He was one of the others who understood her.  
  
Otherwise, she was looked down upon for her powers and so, she kept them to herself. All she wanted was to have happiness in her life and with those people who hated her for what she was, she couldn't achieve full happiness. So, she kept them hidden, practicing only when she was alone or around someone who didn't mind. She was improving daily, her powers stronger than normal... To think what it would be if she held nothing back. She could only wish that one day, someone would completely understand.  
  
"Understand what?" An unfamiliar voice whispered behind her. She felt a chill run over her spine as another presence stepped up behind her. She hadn't even noticed the extra ki until now, it was both dark and cold, oddly reminding her of something... Someone. She winced in pain as she felt her mind being invaded, reading around through her various thoughts. Mustering up a bit of strength, she pushed the force away from her mind and whirled around to face the intruder, anger flaming in her violet eyes.  
  
She paused almost immediately, her eyes widening quickly as she felt her heart speed up. A man stood in front of her, only a year or so older than her, a dark presence floating around his form. His hair was a cold blue, navy streaked and a bit unruly so that long strands fell in front of his soft red eyes. He was tall and yet well built, causing his form to appearing both agile and alluring.   
  
He was clothed in loose ebony pants, hiding most of her black boots. His tank-top was also black, drawn nicely across his chest enough to show his sculpted chest and abdomen. He had knuckle gloves clothing both his hand and a black trench coat covering most of his other clothing, dripping down close to his boots.   
  
He allowed his gaze to roam her body shamelessly before bringing her gaze up to meet hers, an elegant smile tracing itself upon his lips. He slowly began to walk over to her, the smile transforming into a slightly humored grin, "Spectra, my dear."  
  
"I didn't ask your name," Skillet answered coldly, taking a single step back as he attempted to close in on her. He paused for a moment, the grin turning into a dark smile as he shook his head slowly.  
  
She winced for a long moment, cupping her hands over her head as she felt the force enter it once again. It was flipping through her memories... Her thoughts. She could hear laughter and talking, engulfed in her screams soon enough. When she came back to reality, he was laughing at her and she allowed her gaze to focus on him with a glare. He was toying with her mind.  
  
"Ah, but you wanted to know," He said simply, slowly walking over to her. He gently ran his right hand through her hair, indulging in the soft flow of silk that ran between his fingers.  
  
Skillet's gaze grew hazy as she tilted her head involuntary against his hand and she had to wonder for a moment if it was really him that was forcing all these things with her. Slowly, he drew her into his arms and roughly pushed her head against his chest when she didn't respond. She winced lightly and shut her eyes for a long moment as he continued to toy with the strands of her hair. Suddenly, she flinched at his touch, getting thrown back into reality and she shook her head enough to remove his hands, pushing herself out of his embrace.  
  
"What do you want?" She asked, ice hanging from every word she spoke. She walked away from him before whirling around to face the man. She wanted to get as far away as possible, but something in her mind held her back from doing so.  
  
"A lone sorceress..." He began slowly, drawing a gasp from Skillet. She stared at him, confusion crossing through her eyes but otherwise hidden. She watched as a smile lit his lips and knew that he already found he had caught her off guard.  
  
"How did you..." Skillet started, but Spectra held up a single finger. She tried to scream in protest as the light streamed from his finger and wrapped itself around her neck. She felt the breath being pulled out of her as her voice was silenced. She brought her hand to her throat, glaring at the man.  
  
"I'm a sorcerer of time and dimensions... I know many things. I know you're a Saiya-jin and I also know that you're adopted. I know you're alone," Spectra began softly as he drew close to her, "I can make the pain go away. I can give voice to your ultimate power. Come with me... I care."  
  
She felt the hold over her voice slowly fade and she gave him a cruel look before laughing at him, "You care? You don't even know me! Goten and Trunks care! Suave cares! What would you know about caring?"  
  
She gasped as Spectra cut off her voice once more, using his right hand to raise her up and float her over to him. He set her down and brought his hands to rest upon her shoulders, his gaze locking with hers in a comforting matter. He almost looked like he was beckoning something forth. Skillet soon discovered that he was... Her dark side.  
  
She knew it was in there and it had often tried to escape her and now he was helping to pull it out. She struggled in his grasp, but his hold remained strong as she silently screamed for help. She saw swirls of black coming forth, feeling it lift up through her as a grin lit his lips. Then he brought forth the one thing she wasn't expecting... He memories.  
  
The explosions rang through her ears as she watched the people scattered. Her father had dropped he when he was struck and she was left there crying. She was only a three year old child and she watched the sky light up in flames as a dying woman slowly crawled her way to her.  
  
"Come here you," The woman whispered, grabbing her by the throat. She had felt power surge through her veins and shrieked in horror as the woman started to glow, transferring her powers onto the child. Shortly after doing so, the woman collapsed and a man slowly made his way toward her. He appeared only a dark figure, a tail wrapped around his waist and a glowing emerald resting around his neck.   
  
"A Saiya-jin child?" She recalled him saying as he lifted her up and brought her to her new home. Suave...  
  
"Lies... They fear you and your power," Spectra's voice was back in her mind again, but the images still flashed before her. The scared looks unhidden when the word 'Sorceress' had come up. Did they fear her powers?  
  
Skillet felt her reserve breaking and she fell forward into Spectra's arms, the memories fading as she was pulled back to reality. She shut her eyes and allowed the tears to fall, pulling Spectra close. He allowed a faint smile to pass over his lips as he drew her close to him, gently playing with her hair.  
  
"I'm so alone..." Skillet whispered softly. She felt herself slipping already, into something desired. Her dark side was pulling its way to the top and she was slowly being pushed further into herself. Powers beyond her light ones, but the ones deep within her began to slowly flow through her veins.  
  
He moved her out of his arms and they locked gazes. Her gaze was slowly turning dark and he nodded slowly, placing his right hand upon her chest. She dropped her gaze down to his hand, watching as it began to glow. She was slipping further now and a smile lit her lips as a controlled look fell into her gaze.  
  
She shut her eyes, yet the images were still there and she knew she had lost control. She was now locked in the darkness, watching all that happened from afar. The dark side took over as a violet and black swirling vortex opened up behind her, causing her hair to fade to black. She screamed loudly, knowing no one could hear it, she was locked in now.  
  
Skillet looked to Spectra with the rim of her violet eyes glowing softly. He smiled at her and played with her hair a moment more, backing away soon after. The vortex slowly faded and Skillet smiled gently.  
  
"I will see you soon, my dear," Spectra whispered softly. Skillet nodded slowly and watched as Spectra faded, everything slowly returning to normal.  
  
She brought her eyes to a close for a moment, enjoying the feel of being free. Opening her eyes, a cold smile set itself upon her lips and she moved her gaze to meet the figure of Suave. He was straightening his white cloak, clothed in a black tank top and baggy pants, his silver eyes glowing softly. He brushed back his raven hair and smiled at her softly as he approached.  
  
"Skillet," He said and held out his left hand to greet her. She looked down to it for a moment, taking it with her own and placing a false look of mirth in her eyes.  
  
"Suave, I've missed you," She said, causing his smile to grow. He pulled her close and hugged her gently before releasing her, "I have to be on my way."  
  
She pushed past him and started to head back towards her house, completely forgetting about visiting Goku. She had her own mission to accomplish and she could meet the others later.  
  
"Suave, my target. Soon dead, but not yet..." Skillet whispered softly to herself. 


	2. Introducing, Goten!

This chapter is a bit shorter than the other, originally the beginning to this story before I changed it around. Just a little conversation between Skillet and Goten.   
  
Disclaimer: No, I don't own any DBZ characters... As if you didn't know that one.  
  
***  
  
Skillet dropped back into her chair, a sigh parting her lips as her eyes slid to a close. She tilted her head back, her golden hair sliding behind her ears, and allowed a soft smile to touch her lips, jumping momentarily as her kitten, Kisara, hopped up into her lap. She opened her violet eyes and dropped her gaze to the animal, her head tilting gently to the side as she softly passed her hand over it's fur-covered backside. Her head jerked up and gaze wandered quickly to the hallway as she heard the front door softly creaking open.  
  
"Skillet, are you home?" the voice of her friend, Goten, rang through the air. She patted the kitten lightly before moving her onto the floor, standing up and walking to the doorway of the hall.  
  
"Yes, Goten, I'm here," Skillet said as her friend peeped his raven hair-filled head around the corner to see her, "Actually, I just got home."  
  
"Really? I tried calling and didn't get an answer... Where were you?" He responded, walking the rest of the way to her. She smiled softly and walked back over to her chair, taking a seat.  
  
"Well, I was on my way to your house," She started, pausing as Goten took a seat into his chair, "When I encountered none other than, Suave."  
  
A stifled giggle escaped Goten's lips as he inclined his head to the right. A smile spread along his lips and he nodded slowly, "Suave? Of all people... I haven't seen that guy in forever. How is he?"  
  
"He's doing quite well, actually. He's getting quite strong... Probably has already surpassed you, maybe even your father." She said with a smile, shaking her head slowly. The grin only grew on Goten's lips as he leaned forward in his chair, supporting his chin with either of his hands.  
  
"Ah, but not the powerful Skillet, I suppose?" He asked, arching his left brow, lowering it a moment later with a grin. She allowed a faint laugh to escape her lips and leaned back a bit more into her seat.  
  
"I'm not so powerful, Goten," Skillet started, waving her right hand lightly, the soda set upon the table lifting into the air and pouring itself into a cup, "Besides, Suave is a bit older than I am... More experience."  
  
"In what?" Goten asked smugly as the glass lifted off the table, floating into Skillet's hand. She brought her gaze to him for a moment, her smile softening as she brought the rim of the glass to her lips, sipping the substance.  
  
"Ah... I don't want to answer that one," Skillet said with a laugh as she let go of the glass, waving her hand underneath it before placing either of her hands in her lap, the glass simply staying in midair. Goten's gaze slowly wandered to the glass before moving to Skillet. Her golden hair fell in waves to her shoulders, her violet eyes sparkling with both magic and intelligence. Her form was both slim and agile, clothed in a pair of navy blue flares and a black top with blue flames dancing along it. It was her typical outfit, with her blue and black knuckle gloves and simple white shoes. He smiled a bit more, his gaze falling into her eyes.  
  
"Skillet, the sorceress. Not only that... But a Saiya-jin as well? And you say Suave is stronger? What a laugh." Goten stated. Skillet locked her gaze with the glass, her mind slowly focusing on it as her smile dimmed.  
  
"Suave... Is a Kai. Not only that, but he is the Ultimate Kai and a strong Saiya-jin at that," Skillet answered, her head tilting a little to the side.  
  
"True, true... But you are a strong Saiya-jin, too. And what is a Kai? Just a title... What power does he have except for a teacher?" Goten continued, standing up from his seat, "You could kill him if you wanted to."  
  
Skillet's concentration snapped with Goten's last word, the glass slowly clinking in the air before bursting into a circle of glass. Her eyes widened and she held up her right hand, whispering one word and watching as the glass spun carefully in a circle before lowering slowly to the ground. She dropped her hand back to her lap and with that, the glass landed and scattered on the floor.  
  
Goten stared at Skillet in confusion, his gaze wandering down to the glass shortly after. There was a glimmer of red on select pieces, stealing Goten's attention for a moment before he returned his gaze to Skillet. She sat there with a eerie dark resting over her. He took a single step back, sensing evil slowly enter the room. She turned her gaze up to him, the rim of her violet eyes glowing gently as her golden hair swirled about her, fading to a black.  
  
"Skillet?" Goten asked with worry dripping from his words. She brought her eyes to a gentle close as a soft violet and black, spiraling vortex opened up behind her. His eyes widened as a bright, white light glowed in the center, slowly moving out towards him. She allowed a dark smile to cross her lips, opening her eyes to reveal black irises.  
  
"Suave can't die... yet," She began slowly as the light swirled closer to him. He felt his body suddenly stuck in place and his breath begin to give way. A cold laugh escaped her lips as she whispered, "Forget."  
  
Goten felt the light hit his forehead, the day's events slowly being sucked from his mind. He opened his mouth to scream, but felt it get caught in his throat. He braced himself for the death blow that never came. Slowly, he fell to his knees before dropping to his side, everything fading to black. 


	3. A Dream?

Well, this is after "Skillet" got to poor Goten... There's a little more to this chapter and Spectra will be back, of course. Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: No, I don't own DBZ... But if I did, maybe I could move... Hmm...  
  
***  
  
Goten winced painfully in the vast darkness, sitting up and looking around himself. All he could remember was getting ready for sleep that night, but he didn't wake up to his room... He didn't wake up to anything. It almost looked as if he were caught up in the night sky, able to see his own form, but nothing beyond that. He allowed a small groan to escape his lips and stood to his feet, carefully taking his steps forward. He didn't know where he was or where he was going... But he couldn't wait forever to find out, could he?  
  
There were flashes of memories in his mind, the kind he couldn't understand. He remembered purple and black... A glowing violet and Skillet. But beyond that, he was lost. Goten sighed deeply and shrugged the thoughts off, labeling them as simple dreams. His steps grew slow as the time passed, despite the fact that he had just awoken, his limbs were in a good deal of pain.   
  
He placed his right hand to his forehead and winced once again, shaking his head slowly. He felt as though his mind had been stripped, read like a book, and tossed back to the shelf. His walking became a stumble as he placed both his hands upon his head, trying to dig at the pain dwelling inside it, another groan leaving his lips.  
  
"Goten..." He heard Skillet whisper from behind him. He mustered his strength and turned to face her, finding that he was having a difficult time getting air into his lungs. His eyes widened at Skillet, her clothes seeming ripped and her once vibrant eyes, lifeless. Her blonde hair seemed unkempt and she was dropped to her knees, her usual mirth-filled face stained with the trails of tears.  
  
"Skillet," He answered, moving to take a step forward, stopping when another figure appeared behind her. The figure was clothed in only a black cloak, the face hidden by the hood. All Goten could make out were the violet glowing eyes. Suddenly, Skillet's eyes widened in fear.  
  
"Don't listen to her! She'll kill you! She'll-" Skillet started screaming frantically. The cloaked figure lifted up its right hand, an evil laughter filling the area. I leapt forward, reaching for Skillet only to watch as the figure and Skillet faded into the darkness, causing me to land on the hard ground.   
  
"Ah!" Goten screamed, sitting up in a bed, his chest heaving and his eyes wide. He looked around, finding himself in Skillet's room, a feeling of relief washing over him.   
  
"Goten," Skillet said in surprise. She had jumped away from the bed at the sudden motion, a damp clothe held in her left hand. He stared at her for a long moment before leaping up from the bed, wrapping him arms tightly about her waist.  
  
"You're all right! You're alive, Skillet," Goten shouted with glee, turning his head enough to look up to her. She stared down at him, blinking in confusion.  
  
"Well, thanks for that bit of information, Goten," She answered him with a laugh, shaking her head slowly. He nodded a little before freeing her from his embrace, settling himself upon the bed.  
  
"What happened?" He questioned, his head tilting to the side after he observed his surroundings once more. He feel asleep in his room and woke in Skillet's... He just didn't see how that was possible.  
  
"You came over to talk to me, but you collapsed once you entered the door. I took you inside and you've been asleep since then," She explained before giving him a teasing smile, "Have you been staying up with your girls, Goten?"  
  
"What girls?" He muttered with a smile, shaking his head slowly before wincing. Slowly, her brought his right hand to touch his forehead, drawing it away and observing his fingers. No blood... But plenty of pain.  
  
"I guess I hit my head on my way down, hmm?" Goten asked, dropping his hand back to his lap soon after.   
  
"You did... I was worried you might go into a coma," Skillet replied, taking a seat in the chair she set beside the bed, turning her gaze back to him shortly after. He sat there watching her, a soft smile on his lips.  
  
"I think I did," He replied with a soft laugh, remembering back to the darkness he had been engulfed in before.  
  
"Well, perhaps you should rest, Goten," Skillet said, standing up and walking towards the door before turning and looking back to him, "You may go home if you like. I have a few matters to attend to, but I should be back soon enough."  
  
Goten nodded slowly before standing to his feet, stumbling a moment before righting himself, "To be honest, I probably should head home. I don't want to leave Goku or mom worried."  
  
Skillet smiled softly and nodded, moving out of his way so he could pass through the door. She stood in the frame of the door, watching as he walked off down the hall and out the front door, shutting it behind him. A gentle laugh escaped her lips and she turned to face the center of the bedroom, waving her hand gently.  
  
Sparkles slowly dripped from the air, wrapping themselves around her form. She spread her arms out, watching as they were covered as well. A silk black dress appeared once the sparkles faded, sleeves running half-way down her arms before opening up and trailing down in black lace. It was low-cut in the front, tied up with a delicate, black string. The dress trailing down to her feet, a slit going up to her hip on either side of the dress. Her hair slowly turned to the color of a raven and the outer rim of her eyes glowed.  
  
Skillet smiled softly, turning to face the mirror as she looked over her reflection curiously. She slowly spread her hands from her breasts to her hips, adoring the feel of the silk. She turned to face the center of the room once more, looking to the violet and black, spiraling vortex that appeared, stepping into it and disappearing, the room fading back to normal.  
  
There was a momentary flash once she entered the vortex, the light quickly fading to reveal a room. There was a fireplace on the far left, a bed across from it, covered in silk red sheets with a black canopy of lace above it. The room had mirrors for walls and Skillet couldn't help but laugh to herself.  
  
"Amused?" Spectra questioned from behind her. She observed the room for a moment more before she turned to face him with a soft smile.  
  
"Quite... You're an interesting decorator, Spectra," Skillet answered before stepping closer to him, leaving a few inches between their forms. She tilted her head up to look into his eyes, smiling inwardly at the desire she saw in them.  
  
"You wanted to see me?" She asked after a moment's silence. He tilted his head to the right, a look of thought entering his eyes before he nodded.  
  
"I did... And here you are," Spectra began with a pause, hoping his hint would be taken. Not finding a falter in Skillet's expression, he continued, "Now what?"  
  
She laughed gently before she wrapped her right arm about his waist, using her toes to level herself to his height, pressing her lips softly against his. He responded instantly, leaning into it and bringing both his arms around her waist to pull her body close to his. She brought her eyes to a close and slowly moved him to the bed, never breaking the kiss. Once she had reached her destination, she dropped him down onto the bed, moving over him and pressing her lips to his once again, her right hand entangling her fingers in his hair.   
  
The fireplace dimmed it's light, casting a light shadow of their forms over the room. Once his eyes closed, she allowed a dark smile to pass her lips. Everything was going as she wanted... She could get anything she needed now. 


	4. The Ultimate Kai...

Finally, you get to know more about Suave! Yea, I bet you're excited... Well, Goku's also in this chapter. Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: Didn't own DBZ in the last chapter and I don't in this chapter.  
  
***  
  
Suave shoved his hands into his pockets, wandering through the woods to Goku's house. Normally, he would have flown, but he had too much on his mind to fly at the moment. He hadn't seen Skillet in almost more than a year and she spoke to him so quickly and pushed past him like it was nothing. She has seemed momentarily surprised to see him, though, most likely picking up on his growing power. He hadn't bothered to suppress it before walking over to greet her.  
  
He gently kicked at the dirt, a sigh leaving his lips. He was hoping that their greeting would have been longer, but he supposed she was still angry with him. They had fought before she moved, after all. She had stayed in the area, but he had left after that. He went off to train past the Earth.  
  
On places where he didn't have to bother hiding his power, yet still some idiotic monsters came to challenge him. He would usually toy with them before showing how strong he really was, unleashing a fury of attacks and then, if that didn't kill them, simply vaporizing them where they stood. It was a lonely time for him and he had longed for the day when he would return.  
  
He returned mostly because of warning he received from one of the prophets living on one of the planets he traveled to. The man needed money and in return he would tell Suave his future. Of course, Suave had been more than skeptical, but the man had surprised him.  
  
"A girl... Skillet," He began. Suave's mouth dropped open in shock and he took a seat in a chair instead of retreating out into the night.  
  
"Go on..." He said, dropping some more coins into the can resting on the old table top. The man smiled softly and nodded slowly.  
  
"And a man... Spectra. He's after Skillet," He continued. Suave jumped up from his seat and stared at the man, waiting for him to continue, "She's in danger."  
  
That's all it really took to get Suave out of the house and racing home to check on the girl. It confused him, though... She had seemed perfectly fine when he saw her. But how could the man be lying? He knew who Skillet was without Suave telling him and Suave was hard to read when it came to people he knew and his emotions... Or his power.  
  
The warriors had always thought he was strong, but if only they knew how powerful. He was a higher level than any of them, after all... He worked for it, though. He wasn't just born with his power, he had moved his way to being the strongest Kai and Saiya-jin. He had trained many other over the years as well. So many years... Despite his youthful complexion, he was one of the first ones around, the Ultimate Kai. In all those years, he had never trained anyone quite like his favorite student... Skillet.  
  
He had trained Skillet to become as strong as she desired, he had been the one who found her abandoned. He felt a powerful energy radiating off of her and decided she would be good for training. He gave her to Goku and waited... Waiting for the time when he could see what he power could really do. She was a full blooded Saiya-jin, but how it was possible, he didn't know. She had her tail removed after her first time of becoming an Oozaru, it never grew back.  
  
Suave was ripped from his thoughts, sensing a familiar ki slowly closing in on him. He turned his gaze up to the sky, coming to a stop and waiting for Goten to pass by overhead, lowering his ki. Soon enough, Goku's son passed, leaving a trail of excess energy in his path. Suave smiled to himself, knowing that he would be visiting Goten soon enough.   
  
He continued his walk after that thought, admiring the nature of Earth. While he was away, he missed the smells, the sights... It wasn't like this anywhere else, at least not exactly. Suave arrived at the house a few minutes after Goten had walked in the door. He dropped his power and knocked on the door to be greeted with the sounds of whining.  
  
"Chi-chi, the door!" Goku complained from the living room. Suave listened to the annoyed grumble that followed closely behind the comment.  
  
"Goku, if you feel like eating tonight, you'll get off your ass and answer the door!" Chi-chi screeched. There was a momentary groan followed by the sound of footsteps.   
  
"Hello?" Goku asked, opening the door and allowing his gaze to settle on Suave, a bright smile lightly his lips, "Suave!"  
  
"It's been a while, Goku," Suave said, a grin appearing on his own lips as Goku gestured inside.  
  
"Come in," Goku stated, but Suave held up a hand, shaking his head slowly in a way of dismissing the offer.  
  
"No, but thanks," Suave began before nodding slowly, "I was in the area and quite bored... Are you up for a spar?"  
  
Goku peered back into the house, cautiously stepping outside before quietly shutting the door behind him, turning back to Suave soon after, "Let's go."  
  
Suave laughed softly at Goku's child-like attitude, following the taller man back into the woods. They trudged through the tall grasses and bushes, leading their way to a calm field of grass before coming to a stop.  
  
"This should do..." Goku stated, a sound of approval in his voice. Suave simply nodded his agreement, looking forward to the battle. It had been a while since he had battled another Saiya-jin and he was actually starting to miss the feel.  
  
They turned to face each other with a grin, curling their hands into fists. They spread their legs, bending at the knees enough to drop into a fighting stance. They stared at each other for a long moment, waiting for the other to make the first move. Suave tilted his head to the side, feeling his power slowly begin to surge through his veins.   
  
Goku nodded once before leaping forward, his left fist flying at Suave's chest. Suave held up his right hand, grabbing the first before twisting it to the side. Goku shifted his position enough to remove the pain from his wrist, thrusting his knee at Suave's gut. Suave brought his knee up, crushing it against Goku's with a loud yell. They pushed away from each other and stared cautiously, taking in their air.  
  
Goku drew in a long breath before letting out a scream, allowing his power to engulf him for a moment. The ground began to shake gently, the rocks resting upon it lifting off of the ground. His clear aura shifted to a golden color as his hair stood up, the black fading to a blonde as his eyes turned emerald. Suave laughed softly, deciding he could be a bit more rough now that Goku had powered up.  
  
Suave brought his right hand down to the sword sheathed on a belt held around his waist. Neither one could be seen by anyone, a little trick he learned from Skillet. He not only trained her, but she taught him a few things that might come in handy. The moment he pulled the sword from its sheath, both became visible, drawing a momentary gasp from Goku.  
  
Suave let a scream escape his throat and he dashed forward, drawing the sword back so that the edge was lightly scraping along the dirt. Once he reached Goku, he pulled the sword upwards and Goku held up a hand to catch the blade. He had once been able to do so with Trunks, but Suave was a lot faster than he was expecting and the blade slashed the skin of his palm. He let a wince enter his eyes as he jumped back.  
  
Anger came from his voice and he held up his right hand. Slowly, beams of light flew from his fingertips, coming together in the center of his palm. They gathered up to form a blast of power, thrown at Suave's hand. Suave spun to the right, lifting his sword up to avoid the blast. He responded by running back towards Goku, swiping the blade towards his head.  
  
Goku was prepared this time and grabbed the blade between his fingers, twisting it fast enough to send it spiraling away from them, landing in the ground. Suave started to move back to the sword, but paused. A smile lit his lips and Suave darted back at Goku, shoving his fist deep into his gut before pulling up. Goku's breath was almost completely shoved from his lungs as Suave continued to pummel him. For the brief moment that Goku was awake, he saw Suave's hair change to a dark green, then he dropped to the ground.  
  
  
"Goku?" Suave asked, concern entering his voice as he kneeled down. He had been beating on Goku quite hard, but he had suspected that Goku would be able to handle it. Obviously he had been more than wrong, either that or he had simply taken Goku by surprise.  
  
There was no answer from the Saiya-jin man and Suave sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. He may be the strongest Saiya-jin ever, but he still feared Chi-chi, who wouldn't? How would he explain punching out Goku?  
  
"Mm..." A groggy groan came from Goku. Suave quickly powered down his hair returning to it's normal color. Goku sat up, his eyes opening slowly, "Where... am I?"  
  
"I believe I won out spar," Suave said simply with a grin. He stood up and walked over to where his sword was and picked it up, sheathing it and causing both the sword and sheath to disappear. Suave then walked back over to Goku, holding out his right hand to Goku, he took it and was pulled up to his feet.  
  
"I always saw you as the strong one, Suave. Are you improving or releasing a hidden power?" Goku asked.  
  
Suave's smile softened as he shook his head, turning back to Goku. He shrugged gently before sighing softly, "Can't say."  
  
"Well, you can tell me next time," Goku grinned before turning away, walking back to his house.  
  
Suave crossed his arms over his chest, looking after Goku with his smile fading slowly. He shook his head slowly, whispering to himself, "Yes, Goku... Next time." 


	5. Inside Skillet's Mind

Skillet opened her eyes wearily, an annoyed look crossing her features at the warmth surrounding her waist. She turned enough to face Spectra and let out a disgusted groan, slipping out of the bed and grabbing the silk black robe hanging on the edge, slipping it over her nude form. Spectra sat straight up, a look of confusion resting in his eyes before a smile fell upon his lips, his gaze settling on Skillet.  
  
"Skillet, dear, how nice to see you awake," Spectra began, but Skillet held up her hand and shook her head slowly. She had no time for him right now, he would just have to wait.  
  
"Freeze," She mumbled, watching in hidden satisfaction as Spectra stopped in place, his mouth hanging open and his eyes content.  
  
"Aye..." Skillet sighed softly, crossing her arms over her chest before she slowly began to pace the length of the room. She felt so dirty, having slept next to that horrid man. Sure, he was cute... But there were other men in the world. All she needed was his power and a way to get to Suave's power... Then she could dispose of them both.  
  
She continued to pace the room, her eyes traveling around before landing upon a little desk in the corner of the room, hidden in the dark. She walked over to it, pulling back the chair and taking a seat in it before searching over the papers. She knew Spectra was after Suave... Not only could she read it in his mind, but it was clearly stated in his eyes.   
  
He had turned her mind dark now, sucked out all her fond memories... Or maybe just filled her with hatred. He did something, she knew. Normally, she wouldn't be after Suave.. She, over everyone else, knew his power. He had trained her, of course... Not to mention the fact that she was raised by him. They had few secrets from each other, not that they could really hide anything. She had to hide this, though... The growing feel for power, the raging hate... The fact that there was something in her mind forcing her to go to any means to get all the power she desired.  
  
"The Ultimate Kai... Saiya-jin level 6..." She slowly read over the papers before growling softly in anger, tossing the papers over her shoulder, "Nothing! I knew this already!"  
  
She pushed her chair back, wincing at the screech it made against the floor. She brought her eyes to a close as she continued to pace once again, searching her mind for possible ideas. She had Spectra figured out without a problem, he was far too easy to seduce and already she had all the power she needed over him. She had to keep him around for now, though... Just incase something went wrong with her plans.  
  
Skillet sighed softly and dropped her gaze to her hands, directing it at the sapphire ring she had on her left ring finger. That was what caught her attention, flew through her memory with many images.  
  
Glaring up at Suave as he laughed softly, having defeated her in yet another battle. It had taken him a while and she had put up quite the fight, but once he grasped the necklace and murmured that chant... She was only twelve then, but she could still recall a strange, glowing emerald stone that he had wore on that chain around his neck.   
  
Another memory... She was fifteen now, seated in the small chair in front of the television. She remembered that night all too well... Suave had walked into the room as pissed as he could be. He was upset because she had explained early that she planned to move out soon and he took it a bit too offensive, as if she didn't want his company. She was too into her show, though... She had told him to be quiet and he let his anger explode. She remembered hearing a loud hum, the whole room fading to a dark green, all the glass in the room exploding around them. The room had been shaking and she tumbled to the ground with a shriek, landing in the piles of junk.  
  
"That stone... That emerald stone has his true power! Suave, the Ultimate Kai and Super Saiya-jin, yes," She began after the memories had faded away, "But he also has that power deep within that stone... It magnifies his power!"  
  
A grin settled upon her lips and she nodded slowly to herself. She had figured it out... Suave may be strong, but he couldn't be as strong as she took him for. Maybe if she took that stone... If she magnified her power... Maybe then she would be a match for him. Then again, he didn't know she was evil, if he was taken by surprise, he wouldn't have time to respond at his powers being stolen.   
  
"First I'll go after that stone... Once I have that, the Kai and Spectra are as good as dead," She stated with a cold laugh, turning and walking to the door, watching as the wood faded into a metallic liquid before stepping through it.  
  
Dark... It was all so dark and there was nothing she could do about it. Something inside her had compelled her to letting Spectra release her dark energy, but what? And where was she? She could see where she was going... What she did... But all from a distance. As if she were watching a movie from her point of view. And different screens would play different views... Even memories.  
  
She brought her arms closer around her and shivered against the cold. Trapped in her own mind by... Herself? Or was that the evil force speaking, walking, and acting for her? She saw all that was planned to happen to Suave, but there was nothing she could do. She had to work on getting control of her body first... And maybe then, she could have a chance at saving the others.   
  
"Where am I?" Skillet whispered in a broken cry to herself. She felt a cold breeze run past her, gentle laughter following it soon after. She feel to her knees and let out a loud scream, cupping her hands over her ears and shutting her eyes tightly.  
  
Shut up...  
  
Skillet opened her eyes wide and looked around in the dark. She had stopped moving and she sensed another person with her... Or was it a thing? She didn't know, but she had to find out, "Who are you?"  
  
Why, Skillet... I'm surprised at you. You don't even recognize your own voice? I'm you, my dear. Or should I say the 'new' you.  
  
"You're not me! You never will be me!" She shouted into the air, letting out a loud scream as she felt an enormous, hot power fall upon her, crushing her mind with it's fury. She placed her hands on her head, trying to claw at the pain, but it was no help.  
  
Actually, dear, I am. Spectra brought me out of you and now you go in... You can see what it's like watching what's going on for the rest of your life, I've done it enough.  
  
"Watching?" She asked, confusion leaking into her tone of voice before she brought the hardness back into it, "What do you mean?"  
  
Did you like the thoughts I put on for you? All those past memories... What I plan to do to Suave?  
  
"You leave him alone, you bitch!" Skillet yelled, shutting her eyes against another wave of pain, "I swear, if you touch him, I'll..."  
  
You'll what? Yell some more? I could kill you now if I so pleased... Notice this pain? I'm merely putting a fraction of my power into you.  
  
"I don't care how strong you are. My will is stronger and I can defeat you. I was trained by the Ultimate Kai... I know how to control power and I can turn it against you!" Skillet said with satisfaction. There was a pause, she could feel it. For a moment she felt victory... That was until the laughter started.  
  
The stone... Where is it?  
  
"I won't tell," Skillet said, her arms folding over her chest. She prepared herself for the worse and still crumpled to the floor in pain. She felt her mind being searched through like a book and all she could do was yell against it.  
  
So, that's where? Surprising... Well, thank you, dear. That'll be all.   
  
"No! Wait," Skillet shouted. The presence was gone now and she was left to herself again. She brought her eyes up to the images displayed before her like little movies. Clips of Spectra and her moving together, their bodies glistening in the light, surrounded by mirrors. She shut her eyes tightly against it. She had to do something... And fast. 


	6. Another Dream?

It's so dark...  
  
Suave looked around the room, all the lights dimmed to set an eerie presence in the area. He felt a faint chill run along his spine as he walked over to the fireplace, his steps echoing in loud beats. He knelt down in front of the fireplace, holding either of his hands out to it to gather in the warmth. He closed his eyes and let a soft sigh pass his lips as questions floated through his mind. Where was he?  
  
A soft, melodic song floated through the air and he felt his mind slowly slipping into a trance. His head slowly tilted to the side, his eyes opening halfway and gazing calmly into the fire. He brought his right hand away from the fire and placed it around the emerald held about his neck.   
  
The stone of the Gods... He had fought long and hard for it, moved his way to the top to gain this stone. It was created from mere power, all those before him nearly giving their lives into this stone. It was able to magnify anyone's power to a great extent. He would most likely still be the strongest being in the universe even without it's power... But if it fell into the wrong hands, it might be just enough to wipe him out. He kept it by him at all times; he was bonded to it after all.  
  
He could still remember the day it was given to him. The moment the cool surface of that stone came in contact with his hands, he had slipped from consciousness, thrown into complete power. He was swirling in a world of green lights, his body becoming energized with all the strength of those before him. Their memories flashing through his mind and locking themselves with him.   
  
Memories of blood-soaked battles. Their triumphs and their defeats... Their sorrows and their joys and the worst of all... The times they had lost the stone. Their minds had left them after that, the moment the stone was in the possession of another, their eyes went blank and they simply fell to the ground. The power in them was enormous, but they were stuck in place, merely staring at the sky.   
  
Yet another chill ran through Suave's spine as he thought of this. It was the one thing he dreaded above all... Losing the stone would mean losing himself, but he took on the responsibility as the keeper despite that fact. He feared losing the stone to someone of darkness and then losing himself before he could right the wrong. He doubted Goku and the others would stand a chance then. They were strong, but definitely not strong enough to face someone with the stone. All the times he had used that stone... Aye...  
  
He had lost his mind those times... His aura had turned a vibrant green and whatever happened simply happened. He had lost control with Skillet many times before, usually injuring her in the process. Despite the fact that they had grown to care for each other, they still argued all the time and he was one to lose his temper. The room would fade to a green and he would scream... He would feel himself fade into darkness and watch as the stone did all the work for him. Any fragile items in the room exploding around them and clattering to the ground in a pile of glass and other such fine materials.   
  
Skillet wasn't one to be weak, though. She would often scream against his power and using her own, float into the air, a fury of violet magic surrounding her. Her eyes would fade to a black and they'd throw their powers at each other, waiting for one to fall. Once Suave had enough, he would throw both hands forward, forcing the power of the emerald upon her, flinging her down into the mess on the ground.  
  
When he would come to, she'd be laying on the floor crying and in a bloody mess. That was the reason he revealed the emerald to her... She was the only one who knew about it. The only one who could know about it because she was the one that he trusted. He knew she would never betray him... Or at least he hoped she wouldn't.  
  
He winced softly, suddenly taking notice at the second presence that filled his mind, a soft laughter joining the melody that ran through the room. He paused in his thoughts and slowly turned around to face the one laughing, a slight glare resting in his eyes. Skillet... He should have expected as much, but why did it take him by complete surprise to see her?  
  
She had a soft smile resting on her lips and she tucked some of her blonde hair behind her left ear, her violet eyes sparkling with the dancing firelight. She slowly walked over to him, her movements flowing as if she were not walking at all. She was clothed in a silk black dress that slid to the floor, slits going up either side to her mid-thigh, the sleeves hugging down her arms, opening up in an elegant manner once reaching her elbow. Suave smiled to himself, a dress was not something Skillet was known to wear.   
  
"Suave, fancy seeing you here," She stated as she came to a stop in front of him, her smile growing. He allowed his gaze to travel up her, meeting her violet eyes which seemed to sparkle with an evil gleam that appeared uncanny.   
  
"Skillet," He responded with a nod before taking her offering hand, standing to his feet. He observed her with a curious look before allowing yet another smile to fall upon his lips, "You wouldn't happen to know where we are, would you?"  
  
"Interesting question," She said with a soft laugh. She turned away from him momentarily, gracefully waving her arm to show off the room, "My bedroom... You like it?"  
  
Suave couldn't help but blink. First off, he had no idea as to how he got here and second, it was definitely not Skillet's room. He looked around the area to see a fireplace that faintly lit the red-painted walls. The bed had sheets of violet silk upon it and a red canopy above it. There was a desk hidden in a darkened corner, neat as could be. He returned his gaze to her and caught her watching the glow of the emerald upon his neck, the outer line of her eyes glowing faintly.  
  
"Skillet?" Suave questioned, giving the worry voice. She removed her gaze from the necklace and looked to him questioningly, "Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine," She answered with a gentle smile before moving closer to him. Slowly, she traced the fingers of her right hand down the fabric of his shirt, her gaze locking with his, "Never better."  
  
Suave jumped at her touch before taking a step away from her, his head tilting to the side as his gaze grew cold, "What are you doing?"  
  
"What do you think?" Skillet asked, moving closer to close the space he made between them. Suave gave her a confused look and attempt to move back further, only to find there was a wall blocking his way.  
  
"I wouldn't have asked if I knew," Suave said, his voice breaking slightly with the nervous feeling suddenly traveling through his veins. Skillet laughed softly at him and he forced his gaze to grow hard once again.  
  
"This is what you want," Skillet began softly, pressing her body against his as her hands traveled up him, resting themselves upon his shoulders. She tilted her head to the side with a smile as she lightly brought her inch away from his, her gaze meshed with his own, "Isn't it?"  
  
Suave felt his breath grow heavy as he leaned further back, hoping the wall would just disappear. She allowed her smile to grow at his pathetic attempts, already feeling that part of him was close to giving in. He looked at her, a pleading look shining past the glare, "Skillet, please. This is wrong."  
  
"Is it?" She asked before closing the distance between their lips for a single moment, pulling back and gesturing to his lower half. He glanced down and blushed faintly as she smiled coldly, "I didn't realize."  
  
He shook his head quickly, pushing his morals back and pressing his lips to hers. She watched as his eyes closed and traveled her right hand from his shoulder to the emerald, grasping it tightly before ripping it off the chain. Suave's eyes opened wide and Skillet stepped away from him, dangling the emerald for him to see.  
  
"Poor Suave, you lose," She said, her laugh growing cruel as her hair faded to a black, a man stepping up behind her. His hair was swirls of different blues, strands falling in front of his red eyes that glared menacingly at him.   
  
"No!" Suave screamed, reaching out for the necklace. Skillet cupped her hands over it, the green light filling the room and slowly changing to a violet. Suave felt his mind slipping quickly, all going dark as he fell to the ground.  
  
"No!" He screamed once more, sitting up to find himself in a room of the Son's house. His breath came out in gasps and he searched his body, finding his emerald securely chained to his neck. He let out a sigh of relief and fell back into the bed, his head gently hitting the pillow. He stared at the ceiling, his breathing slowly returning to normal. His sweat-soaked form slowly drying as he shut his eyes against the morning light.   
  
"Suave," A soft voice whispered. He opened his eyes and looked to two worried blue eyes belonging to the young Saiya-jin, Trunks. His lavender hair cut in his normal mushroom style, a few strands dangling in front of his eyes. He had his normal blue jean Capsule Corporation jacket on over his black tank top along with his baggy gray pants. He had concern resting in his eyes, "Dad found you sleeping in the woods while we were out for a little training session and he had us take you here. You were having a really hard time sleeping... Are you all right?"  
  
Suave allowed a soft laugh to pass his lips as he nodded slowly, bringing a look of relief to Trunks' features, "Just a bad dream."  
  
"Is he all right?" A voice questioned, causing Suave to nearly jump up in fear. Skillet walked into the room, her blonde hair set in gentle curls and her violet eyes filled with worry. Her form was clothed in a light blue tank top along with a pair of dark blue flares, her normal knuckle gloves covering her hands. Trunks looked to her with a smile and brought her into his arms. She smiled softly, her head coming to rest on his shoulder, but Suave couldn't help but notice the distant glare in her eyes.  
  
"Yes, he's fine," Trunks answered before looking down to Skillet with a soft smile, returning his gaze to Suave shortly after, "I'll let you two talk."  
  
As soon as Trunks had exited the room, Skillet walked over to the chair beside the bed and took a seat in it, her gaze falling upon him, "You certainly gave everyone a fright, Suave. Finally back and already scaring people."  
  
Suave smiled despite the worried feeling he had resting deep in his heart. He took her little challenge, tilting his head to the side, "Well, sorry, Princess. Next time I'll schedule my nightmares for when no one's around, all right?"  
  
"Sounds like a plan," She said softly before giving him a slightly confused look, "What was the dream about?"  
  
"Just a silly little dream... You tried to get my emerald. Imagine that," He said with a laugh. A cold look of fear ran through Skillet's eyes momentarily, yet she replaced it with forced mirth before Suave could notice, laughing softly.  
  
"Why would I want to steal that silly emerald of yours? I want you to stand somewhat of a chance against me," She answered teasingly. Suave stopped from his laughter, shooting Skillet a playful glare.  
  
"Watch it," He muttered as Skillet stood up, casually fixing her clothing before returning her gaze back to him, her smile softening a good deal.  
  
"Well, I have to get going. I just wanted to see that you were all right. You get a little rest and I'll see you later," Skillet answered, waving to him before she headed to the door, "No more nightmares."  
  
He smiled softly, watching as she walked out the door before shaking his head slowly. Perhaps it was just a silly dream, Skillet seemed the same girl and he still had his emerald. Besides, she was one of his closest friends and he trusted her. He listened to the door shut softly and allowed his eyes to close as he slipped back into his sleep. There was nothing to worry about now... It was just a dream.  
  
As soon as Skillet exited the room, she let out a faint curse, instantly stepping into the vortex that appeared before her. She walked into Spectra's bedroom and saw him still lying in the same position she had left him in. She casually waved her hand, watching as he was released from his still form.  
  
"How are you, dear?" He asked as if nothing had happened. Skillet smiled softly and walked over to the bed, taking a seat beside him, her gaze falling upon one of the reflections in the room.  
  
"Fine... Perfectly fine," She answered. She was going to have to get that emerald somehow, and it wouldn't hurt to have help. Besides, if she got caught, she could easily blame it all on Spectra, "I need your help."  
  
"Gladly," He stated before bringing his arms around her form, he rest his head on his shoulder, softly brushing his lips against her skin, "I give you something, you give me something."  
  
She inwardly muttered another curse before smile softly. He would be gone soon enough and then she would have all she wanted, "Suave has something I need... an emerald. I have to get it."   
  
"Not a problem... Consider it yours." He stated before lifting his head from her shoulder. She smiled to herself and nodded slowly, taking a moment to release herself into her own thoughts.  
  
Why did she need the emerald so much? Why did she want to have all the power she could have? Despite what all the other villains in the world seemed to want, she did not want to have complete power over the world. Once she had enough power, she could travel to any dimension... Any time she ever wanted. And she had so many things she wanted to know, starting with where she came from. With that power, she could do anything she desired... Who wouldn't want that?  
  
"So you'll give it to me?" She questioned Spectra, her gaze locking with his. A soft laugh escaped his lips as he moved his form on top of hers, taking a moment to slip off her tank-top.  
  
"Of course," He said simply, his fingers wandering along her smooth flesh. She arched her back willingly, drawing a smile from Spectra, "In more ways than one, dear."  
  
He leaned down, capturing her lips in a kiss with his. She deepened it, entangling her fingers in his hair once more. The things she had to go through to get her way... She allowed her eyes to slip shut as she pulled him closer to her, allowing her mind to take her away from where she really was as he removed the rest of her clothing.  
  
She dug deep into her mind, traveling through the spiraling lights and memories until she reached her inner self, watching the crying form. She almost felt pity for Skillet; she knew what it was like to not have any control. Yet, now she had it and it was the other's turn to suffer through it all. Slowly, she settled some more of her power down upon the girl, drawing a shriek from her. She couldn't let the girl get strong enough to take command once again... Not when she was this far.  
  
What gave this girl such a strong attachment to Suave? She had traveled through the memories of their arguments, seeing all the times she had come through it either bleeding or bruised. She had to live through all that pain in the background, unable to get revenge. She would soon enough, though... Whether the other cared or not.   
  
She felt herself being pulled back to reality as Spectra slid himself into her for the final time, her eyes opened and her gaze locked with his as she felt a flood of pleasure run over her. Her chest was heaving for air as Spectra fell down upon her. She made a sound of disgust and pushed him to the left of her, letting his sleeping form rest there. She moved out of the bed and picked up her silk robe, slipping it over her glistening form, the chill of air running over her.   
  
She dropped down to the floor, her back resting against the frame of the bed as she raised her eyes up, the room fading to glass to reveal to night sky. She felt a clam feeling wash over her, pushing back the thoughts of Spectra, Suave, and the stone for a few moments. She allowed the peaceful feeling to encase her, shutting her eyes as her mind slowly gave way to sleep. 


	7. Sei-fuu and Butterfly

A soft breeze traveled over the woods near the warrior's house, gently swaying the leaves on the trees. The sunlight streamed through the interfering clouds and shone down on the area. A falcon soared above it all, her gaze falling down upon the scenery, admiring the lovely view. With her sharp vision, she caught the sight of a familiar butterfly, swooping down into the trees with a screech.   
  
The butterfly was resting upon a flower, gently suckling the nectar from the plant. Hearing the scream of a falcon, her attention flew up to the sky, watching the approaching bird. When it had reached her, it settled upon the ground, cocking its head to the side before letting out a gentle crow. The butterfly slowly waved its wings, floating up from the flower and coming to rest on the falcon's shoulder. A darkness filled the sky as a bright light focused upon them, slowly fading after a moment's time.  
  
Where the falcon had once sat, stood a tall woman. She had chestnut hair that cascaded to her shoulders in waves, her golden eyes sparkling like the sun. Her form was slim and agile, a brown skirt and white shirt clinging to her body. Her wings were not completely gone, for they extended behind her, larger and more vibrant. The feathers shined colors of gold and brown. Her arm was extended out, holding the hand of another girl.  
  
The butterfly had transformed into a woman as well, shorter than the other. Her hair was a light blue and fell down just above her waist, curling towards the ends, her eyes a soft gray. She was clothed in a powered blue bikini, sparkling pink lace wrapping about her and draping over her shoulders. Her wings spread out behind her, flapping gently to reveal every color of the rainbow within them.   
  
They released each other's hand and turned to face each other, squinting as they adjusted to the light. A smile crossed their lips and they began to test out their new forms, taking slow steps along the forest floor. Soon enough, they banged into each other, dropping to the ground in giggles.  
  
"Aye... It's been a while, hasn't it?" Butterfly asked. She took a moment to stand up, gently brushing any dirt off of her outfit before holding her hand out to Sei-fuu. Sei-fuu took her hand gratefully, being pulled up to her feet.  
  
"Since we've gone into our human forms? Yes, it has been," Sei-fuu said with a laugh, shaking her head slowly before a look of seriousness appeared in her eyes, "You know why we're here, don't you?"  
  
"How could I forget? The stone is in danger, again," Butterfly replied gravelly. Slowly, she tilted her head to the side, shooting Sei-fuu a confused look, "Who has the stone this time?"  
  
"Hmm... Well, Meirock had it when we last appeared and he passed it onto..." Sei-fuu began before bringing her eyes to a close, her eyelids fluttering as she searched for the information. Calmly, she opened her eyes and looked back to Butterfly with a soft smile, "He gave it to a man named Suave. He's an Ultimate Kai and a Saiya-jin."  
  
Butterfly nodded slowly before she began to pace the distance between two three, her wings melting into her backside. A look of thoughtfulness crossed her eyes before she looked back to Sei-fuu, "Do we know who's after the stone?"  
  
"We never do, do we?" Sei-fuu replied with a smile, her wings folding and disappearing into her backside as well, "We simply give our gift to the one with the stone and hope for the best."   
  
"You think we could do more than that..." Butterfly mumbled softly before she waved her hand lightly, one of the tree branches dropping down in the form of a chair. With a sigh, Butterfly dropped back into it.  
  
"I know, I know... Protect the stone. It's all we ever do," Sei-fuu stated with a shrug before walking over to Butterfly, pulling the girl from her chair. Butterfly shrieked lightly, turning to glare at Sei-fuu coldly.  
  
"We have to get to work, Butterfly. You can sit once this is done... Right now we create the protection needed. We'll give it to Suave and then we go return to normal once the stone is safe again,"  
  
"Well, let's get on with it," Butterfly replied through her clenched teeth. Sei-fuu shot her a glare before taking off further into the woods, heading towards the circle resting in the center. Butterfly threw her hands up in exasperation before running after Sei-fuu, disappearing into the woods.  
  
Once they arrived at their destination, they stood so that they were facing one another. Their gazes locked as they exchanged worried looks, taking in a deep breath. Bringing their eyes to a close, they saw a flurry of magical lights dancing in their mind and they slowly brought their hands to face each other. They felt their minds being dragged away from them as the magic engulfed them, causing their eyes to shoot open. They held their arms high up and the ground began to shake with the power that began to emit from their forms.   
  
Their eyes faded to a pure black and smiles lit their lips, the world seeming to circle around them. Lights spurted up from the ground, whipping from side to side as they swirled in a circle, unleashing a fury of beams about the girls. A scream tore through their throats and they tilted their heads back to face the darkening sky, the stars seeming to fall down upon them.  
  
"Kishikata!" They yelled out to the sky. The lights left them and flowed up into the air, creating the image of a clock, glowing brilliantly in the sky. The arms of the clock's arms began to race backwards with this word. They dropped their gazes to the palm-sized stone that laid on the ground between them, lifting it up with the will of their minds. The stone glowed bright as some of the light stream flowed into the tiny rock.  
  
"Konoyo!" Another word left their lips, this time in a whisper. The hands on the clock came to an immediate stop, shining brighter. The stone began to quiver in the air as more energy flowed into it. Their arms were shaking now as they tried to keep their powers in check, their breathing becoming slow.  
  
"Jisedai!" They mouthed this word now, soft gasps for air escaping their tired throats. The clock's arms began to spin forward, flinging power into the tiny stone. It rattled between them, giving off an aura of its own. They braced themselves for the final blow, shutting their eyes once again.  
  
"Mamorinuku!" They screamed, their eyes opening wide as their forms were flung up into the air, the stone shooting up higher above them. Their gazes followed the rock, watching as it hit the center of the clock, sucking in all the energy they had put into it. They felt their sanity running back into them like a tidal wave, thrusting their bodies to the ground with an explosion that sent a rumble through the ground, the clouds in the sky rippling furiously.  
  
Once they hit the ground, their conciseness slipped from them, forcing their eyes to a close. The stone dropping from the sky, traveling back towards the Earth as a material of pure power. Sei-fuu sat up, rubbing her forehead gently, only to be hit with the stone, her awake-state disappearing as she dropped back down.  
  
"Sei-fuu?" Butterfly asked wearily as she sat up. Her gaze wandered over to her fallen comrade and then to the stone. She reached out for it, taking it within her hand and wincing against the heat that it emitted. It was a shiny black now, after they had forced all that power into it, cut into a perfect oval as if it were a precious jewel.   
  
"Damn stone," Sei-fuu muttered with a glare, squinting one opened eye at Butterfly. The sunlight had returned to the sky and the powers had faded, their task now complete.  
  
"The Protect stone... Do you think it will help him?" Butterfly asked, the awe greatly represented in her tone of voice.  
  
"It better help him... After all that, I don't want to try making another," Sei-fuu replied, a grin finally lighting her lips as she willed herself to stand up, looking down at Butterfly, "Come on, let's give it to him and get out of here, all right?"  
  
Butterfly nodded and stood up as well, following the trail Sei-fuu had mapped out earlier as a falcon. They were on their way to Goku's house, the house Suave was occupying for the time being. He would soon have the stone and everything could be all right again.  
  
Sei-fuu pounded her fist upon the door for the fifth time, getting annoyed with the bickering she heard within. How could two people complain so much over who would answer the door? Having enough, Sei-fuu used most of her force into kicking the door to the floor, storming in the house soon after, "No, don't get up! Allow me!"  
  
Chi-chi stared at Sei-fuu and Butterfly in shock, holding her right hand to her lips as she glared at the two girls, "Well, I never met such nasty girls!"  
  
"Yea, lady? Now you have... Be happy," Sei-fuu muttered, pushing past her and leading her own way to the Suave by feeling his ki. Goku was nothing to worry about, he was having much too fun laughing at the fuming Chi-chi to give them any trouble.  
  
Finding the room after searching most of the house, Sei-fuu gently knocked on the door, relieved to get an answer moments after that, "Hello?"  
  
"Suave, finally we meet," Butterfly said gracefully. He shot her a confused look before gazing at Sei-fuu expectantly.  
  
"We're Sei-fuu and Butterfly. The stone... That emerald that you wear around your neck... We are the protectors of it. We watch who's hands it falls into. I must tell you, your stone is in danger. There is a plot being formed against you and we're here to help," Sei-fuu stated, holding out the protection stone to Suave which he cautiously took, "Keep that with you at all times and your stone will be safe. If you ever need us... Just call for us upon the stone."  
  
"But," Suave began, reaching for Sei-fuu only to grasp air as the two women faded in a fury of light. When the light cleared, a falcon and butterfly floated in their place. He stared after them in confusion, watching as they flew out the window. He felt the stone vibrating in his hand, his gaze slowly dropping down to it. 


	8. Where's Goten?

Skillet awoke the next morning, jousted from her dreams by the screaming of the girl inside her. She winced softly, opening her eyes and looking around the dark room. Since there was no windows in the room and the fire had gone out, it had faded to pitch black. Spectra, she supposed, had removed her glass room effect, turning it back to walls of mirrors. She stood up and threw a spark at the fire, causing the room to light up once again. She slowly walked over to the side of the bed, looking down upon Spectra with a glare. How she wanted him dead...  
  
Shaking her head slowly, Skillet walked towards the door of the room, slipping through the metallic transport. She felt her body being thrown to the normal world, her form becoming clothed in a simple pair of blue shorts and a red tank top. Once coming to a stop, she step through the door, her gaze falling upon Suave who stood facing away from her, his gaze out the window. A smile touched her lips as she nodded to herself. Better a time than never.  
  
"Suave, are you busy?" She questioned before Goten came running into the room. He looked around before allowing his gaze to settle upon her, a bright smile lightly his lips. Her gaze remained on Suave, watching the man stare at her through the glass pane.  
  
"Skillet! Come with me," Goten said, reaching out to her and grasping her right hand in his own. She couldn't rip her gaze from Suave's expression... So cold...  
  
"But..." Skillet started, trying to pull away from the pleading Goten. She turned to face him with a glare, almost letting her anger slip out completely. She shut her eyes for a moment, taking in a slow breath.  
  
"Go, Skillet," Suave whispered softly, pressing his head to the pane. She looked at him for a long moment before nodding slowly, turning and following Goten out with an anger fuming inside her.  
  
He had her follow him out of the house and they shot up into the sky, flying over the forest instead of going through it. She closed her eyes and tried to enjoy the cool breeze running through her hair. It was hard to keep her anger in check when she had come so close. There had to be a way to winning this and blowing off some energy while she was at it. She looked to the gabbing Goten in faint interest, an idea sparking in her mind.  
  
When they finally came to a stop, they lowered themselves in a field of blooming flowers. Goten did a half-way twirls, extending his arms as he took in a deep breath of air before returning his gaze to Skillet with a bright smile, "Isn't it wonderful?"  
  
"Simply amazing," She replied almost sarcastically, forcing a hint of false awe into her voice as she looked around at the view, looking back to Goten soon after, "Why are we out here?"  
  
"I've missed you so much, Skillet," Goten began, walking over to her slowly. She felt her anger flare once again inside her, pulled from her plans for a little get-together, "I just wanted to spend time with you."  
  
That was it... She unleashed her anger out on him. Her fist clenched tightly at her sides and her outfit rippled gently with the waves of power running over her. Goten's eyes widened slightly in silent fear as her eyes began to glow lightly, a haunting laugh escaping her throat, "That's all? You stop me from killing Suave because you wanted to spend time with me?"  
  
Goten took a few steps back in complete horror and Skillet couldn't help but smile at the frightened look resting in his eyes. She knew she gave herself away, but it wouldn't matter in a few moments. In a few moments, he would be scattered all over the field, no one to call for help. She had to admit, the place he decided to settle would do quite well at the moment.   
  
"You... That dream wasn't fake! You're not Skillet," Goten yelled at her, pointing a finger at her as a glare came to rest in his eyes. Her smile only grew, knowing he was only glaring to hide his fear.  
  
"Actually, I am Skillet," She began softly, slowly walking towards him. He jumped up into the air and floated back a couple feet, staring at her in hatred, "At least... Part of her."  
  
"What did you do to her?" He questioned, his voice rising in pitch. His anger was slowly building up and a golden aura flared up around his body. He let out a loud scream, his eyes blazing an emerald green and his hair sticking up, turning to gold. His aura crackled with power and the ground shook enough to lift the tiny pebbles from the ground, allowing them to float in midair.  
  
"What I did to her? Don't you mean what she did to me? I was trapped inside her all this time... I had to experience all her emotions, all her pain. I couldn't do anything about it! Now I can, though. Skillet's been pushed back... I'm the true Skillet now." Skillet felt her anger only grow as she jumped up into the air as well, her aura flaring more at the extra space around her.   
  
"Give her back!" Goten screamed. That was all that was needed to be said, though. He didn't wait for an answer, charging straight at Skillet, his left fist drawn back as he prepared to strike her. A laugh escaped her lips and she simply floated higher into the air, easily missing his blow.  
  
Suave had trained her well, she had to admit, and with her Sorceress powers she only grew faster. She was able to anticipate Goten's every move, mostly from knowing the boy since they were young. He flew up after she escaped his first assault, using his left foot to swipe at her head. She stood in place, waiting for the foot to get close enough before she grabbed it with her right hand. She tightened her grasp and whirled him around quickly, flying higher into the air with him before fling him toward the ground. Goten felt the air swishing past him quickly and prepared to stop himself, but a blow of power hit him in the backside, shoving him deep into the ground.  
  
Skillet watched the hole in faint curiosity, hearing swishing through the air before feeling a blow hit the back of her head. She fell forward for a moment, quickly righting herself before whirling around to face Goten. She using her right leg to swipe in a semi-circle, colliding her foot with his head and sending him back toward the ground.  
  
Before she let him hit the land, she disappeared from her position above him, fading below him fast enough to send a hard kick into his ribs, causing him to fly up into the air. Goten gasped for air, a cough of blood leaving his lips as he groaned in pain, feeling the slam of two fists hit his back.  
  
Skillet continued her little game of ping-pong, dashing back and forth to either punch or kick Goten up and down in the air. His face was becoming blood-soaked now with all he had coughed up, his outfit torn. She smiled softly, a gentle laugh leaving her lips as she finally let him hit the ground with a loud crash. She floated high above him, watching his bleeding form.  
  
With a loud scream, she flew down towards him, throwing numerous punches at his gut and chest. He could merely shriek for help as he was beat further into the ground. Slowly, he raised the rest of his power, his aura glowing bright and flinging Skillet up into the air. He flew up quickly and ran at her, tears flowing from his eyes as he powered up his final attack on her.  
  
When it was released, Skillet was already behind him, staring as the blast hit nothing but a far-off mountainside, causing it to crumble to the ground. He growled angrily and turned to face her. She smiled at him gently, a light glowing in her left hand, "Dagger..."  
  
With that word, the light took form of the desired weapon. Before Goten could react, she shoved the weapon deep into his gut, twisting it to the side. A loud scream ripped through Goten and he tried with all his might to push away Skillet. A dark grin fell upon her lips and she whispered the one word he wasn't expecting, "Explode..."  
  
The dagger began to glow brighter and Skillet pushed herself away from Goten. He stared at her in horror as he felt the uncontrollable energy rip through his body. The last vision he saw was of her smiling at him, waving gently as his body exploded.  
  
A look of disgust entered Skillet's eyes as blood and guts splattered across the field and all along the trees. She had been careful enough to move away to avoid getting any of the mess on her clothing. Her dagger now rested in the ground and she waved her right hand gently, the weapon fading away. Her smile faded and she turned away from the mess, making her way back to Goku's house. It was about time she had her way with Suave and retrieved that stone from him.   
  
Skillet took off through the air, the wind blowing through her hair and causing the golden curls to twirl gracefully. She spiraled through the air on her way home, taking a moment to herself to enjoy the weather. She had too much on her mind today and far too much to do. She almost felt a tinge of sadness when she saw the Son's house.  
  
She settled down on the ground and waved her hand gently, her surroundings fading to the hallway right outside Suave's room. She was in no mood to walk past Chi-chi or Goku. She may have blown up their son, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't dispose of them if they bothered her.  
  
Skillet didn't bothered to knock on the door, simply pushing her way into the room. Suave turned around quickly to face the intruder and she shut the door behind her softly, gazing at him with a soft smile. A glare was set in his eyes for a single moment, but it soon faded to content as he walked over to her, "Skillet, I'm sorry about earlier. I've been out of it since that dream."  
  
"So many thoughts, hmm?" She questioned. Suave observed her for a moment before he smiled softly, nodding gently.   
  
"You read my mind, Skillet. It was quite the odd dream, though," He stated, a distant look entering his eyes as he turned his gaze back out the window. Skillet nodded slowly, taking a moment to walk over to him.  
  
"Hmm..." She mused gently, her arms slipping about his waist and her hand traveling up his button-up white shirt. Both slowly and playfully, she undid the top two buttons to his shirt before he lifted up his right hand to cover hers, stopping her, "How odd?"  
  
He turned around to face her, her arms moving up to rest above his neck. He idly played with her hair and stared into her violet eyes, feeling him slowly lose himself in the swirling pools of lavender, "Very odd."  
  
"And I was in it?" She whispered her question, her lips coming an inch away from his as he drew her body closer against his own. He simply nodded with a distant smile, still locked in her gaze. She allowed the outer rim of her eyes to glow simply for effect, pulling him closer as she brought her lips to his.  
  
He responded instantly, rather than backing away like he did in his dream. He leaned into it, slowly backing her towards the bed lying in the center of the room. Once reaching it, they dropped back upon it, never breaking apart. His fingers gently toyed with her hair as hers traveled to other parts of his body. He opened his mouth enough to probe her lips open with his tongue. She let him in willingly, lightly swirling her tongue against his as her left hand slipped away from it's position, slowly making it's way to the necklace dangling between them.  
  
He grabbed her hand in his, lightly caressing the back of her hand before switching their positions. Skillet glared in anger before picking up her playing with him once again, her gaze locked with the stone all along. She carefully started to undo the rest of the shirt, fumbling with the buttons as her mind traveled to more important things. Finally frustrated, she ripped his shirt, the buttons scattering across the room.   
  
She brought her lips back to his for a moment, pulling away soon after. She gently licked his lips before dropping down more, leaving a trail of soft brushes with her lips against the flesh of his chest. Suave tilted his head back a little, his eyes coming to a close as he let himself slip away from the world.  
  
Suddenly, Suave's eyes opened wide as he felt a flood of images hitting him, his eyes shutting tightly against it soon after. They still came, though. Forcing themselves upon his mind mercilessly.  
  
Images of Goten screaming, tears coming from his eyes as he raced at a dark, unknown figure. He had powered up only to be tossed around the sky like a rag doll, coughing up blood and hanging onto his life. He had powered up one last blast and thrown it at the figure.  
  
The figure had gotten out of the way with more than enough time, thrusting a dagger into his gut and whispering... Something. He saw Goten's eyes widen in fear before he exploded, his mess landing all over the field. Slowly, a soft laughter escaped the lips of the killer, a light shining on the person to reveal it was... Skillet.  
  
His eyes opened wide with a gasp and he lifted his power level enough to shove Skillet off him and to the other side of the room. She hit the wall and slammed to the floor with a thud, wincing in pain. She slowly brought her gaze up to him, a glare resting in her violet eyes, "The hard way, hmm?"  
  
"You're not Skillet," Suave stated, moving off the bed before standing up, staring coldly at the girl on the floor, "She wouldn't do something like you just did."  
  
"How would you know that, Suave, hmm? Do you know me so well... Or are you just fooling yourself?" Skillet asked, trying her best to keep calm as she stood up, leaning back against the wall.  
  
"Skillet wouldn't kill Goten!" Suave screamed, the stone on the necklace glowing bright, engulfing the room in a green light. His body floated into the air by mere power, against his own will. He didn't care, though... Anger shone in his eyes like two fiery emeralds. The room began to shake, the bed frame cracking and tumbling to the ground, the dressers toppling to their sides. His hair turned to a dark green as his power grew higher. The glass in the windows exploded from the pressure, the glass crashing everywhere. All the china and other glass in the room began to rattle in their places, lifting into the air and circling him. He stared at her with a cruel glare before flinging the objects at her. She was able to duck away in time, fading out of view and reappearing behind Suave as the items he threw exploded in mid-air.   
  
"It's time to end this!" Skillet screamed as she flew up into the air, a black cape appearing over her form, flowing with her golden hair that slowly faded to black. The glowing outer rim of her eye slowly moved to the rest of the eye, causing both her eyes to glow a bright violet.   
  
Suave turned to face her and Skillet moved forward to grab the necklace from Suave, getting a hold of the stone. His eyes widened in fear, but then he remembered something. He held up his right hand, searching his mind for the item he wanted and the protection stone rose from the mess on the floor, flying to his hand.  
  
A surge of power leapt from the stone he held and hit Skillet, throwing her back against the wall. She stared at him in shock and he let a smile fall on his lips. He slowly powered down, slipping the stone into his pocket as he walked over to her.   
  
Skillet's gaze dashed to the now open doorway and she let a slight whimper enter his voice, mock fear playing in her eyes. Suave stared at her in slight confusion before turning around, "Please, Trunks... Don't let him hurt me!"  
  
"Trunks, it's a trick!" Suave shouted, but Skillet stood up and ran over to the lavender hair boy and he gathered her in his arms lovingly. He glared at Suave and shook his head.  
  
"I can't believe you, of all people, would try to hurt Skillet," Trunks said in a cold voice. Suave stared at Trunks in shock, stepping forward to say something, but Trunks simply shook his head again, "Get out of here."  
  
A sad look entered Suave's eyes as he turned to one of the broken windows, using some of his energy to lift him into the air before he took off into flight. He felt Skillet power up a moment later and he could sense her following him. He stopped and turned around to face her and she smiled at him softly.  
  
"I'll get you soon, Suave," She whispered. He moved forward to say something, but Trunks flew up behind her, putting his arms securely around his waist. Suave turned away and shook his head, heading off into the woods. 


	9. You can't win, Suave.

Skillet gazed after Trunks as he left the room, gently shutting the door behind him. She let a frustrated sigh slip past her lips and brought her arms securely about her chest, beginning to pace the length of the room. A shiver ran down her spine, but not from the cold air than swamp the room. Suave had figured her out and so soon, too. Was he a genius?   
  
Skillet pushed aside that idea with a soft laugh, coming to a stop as her eyes slid to a close. She took in a long breath of air that seeped through the broken windows, enjoying the feel of night closing in on the room. There had to be a way that she could get to Suave... She still had to get that emerald of his, but now that he had that strange stone, it didn't seem like it was going to happen.   
  
Skillet pushed back a bit of her golden hair behind her left ear with a swipe of her hand. Things were definitely not going as she had planned and she didn't like it at all. Had she revealed to much in attempting to seduce him? Is that why he had given in to her so easily than he had in the dream she played in his mind? Or maybe there was something else at work... A force beyond her own control helping him.  
  
She felt her senses tingle as she began to pick up on something different in Suave's room. Her eyes slowly opened and her vision fell upon the mess littering the floor, her eyes glowing a bright violet in the darkness. She scanned through the rubble, picking up on an object glowing a faint blue color. Her eyes faded back to normal and a look of confusion slid across her face.  
  
Skillet watched the mess for a moment more before waving her hand above it, slowly pulling her hand up higher and lifting the mess from the ground. With a small smile lighting her lips, she tossed the rubble to the side, reveal the desired object. It lifted off the floor and floated over to her. She took the stem of it between her fingers, observing it with unmasked wonder. A feather from a falcon... "Sei-fuu..."  
  
She curled her hand into a fist, the feather melting in her anger. She threw the slop to the floor with a soft growl, igniting her power below her feet and causing her to float up into the air. Her eyes blazed with hatred and she flew out the window, into the night sky as she headed towards Suave's place. She knew the area by heart, having visited him all the time when she was much younger.   
  
She had too much anger on her mind now to even try enjoying the scenery, her aura flaming around her as if she were on fire. Her teeth clenched together and her hands were curled into fists. The protection stone, she should have known... How could she have been so stupid? Now she would have to attack Suave where he couldn't fight her... Something she should have done in the beginning.  
  
She landed just outside his house, a soft light glowing from the bedroom. She snapped her fingers gently, a violet shield flying up and wrapping about her before fading. Her ki was hidden now, so he wouldn't be able to sense her... No matter how strong he was. She moved close to the window and peered inside, watching as he sat on the bed, his head resting in his hands. She smiled faintly, her gaze icing over as she continued to watch him. He was whispering softly to himself, his fingers entangled tightly in his hair in anger. With a curse, he stood up and undid his pants, dropping them to the ground before kicking them off.  
  
She smiled more, watching the stone slip out of the pocket of his pants and roll across the floor. Suave never even noticed the now missing possession. He slipped off his shirt, keeping his chain and boxers on as he head to the bed. He dropped onto the mattress and pulled the sheets over him, leaning over to shut off the light. Skillet dropped down to the ground and waited for a moment. She would have to lock herself to his mind to know when he was sleeping.  
  
She took in a deep breath and slowly brought her eyes to a close, diving into her own subconscious first. She saw whirls of lights, images of memories, and the now hopeless, silent girl laying on the floor. She had stopped crying a while ago, after seeing Goten killed. She had been screaming all the while, pushing all her power to stop it, but it was no use.  
  
She knew now that she was stuck in this darkness and there was little she could do about helping herself, let alone her friends. She just sat curled up in a corner, swaying back and forth slowly, murmuring comforting words to herself as she stared at the images go by. The girl had most likely lost her mind by now, something that usually happened when one no longer had control. Especially after watching themselves kill off their loved ones and fool with other's minds.  
  
Skillet pushed her way past the haunting image of the girl, almost finding it disturbing to she herself on the ground in such a pathetic position. Skillet slowly pushed her thoughts past the window, an invisible stream flowing from her forehead to his as she linked them. She felt him flinch as they made contact, but no more was given past that. She jumped into his memory slot as she felt him slowly slipping into his sleeping state, playing whichever image she chose across his mind.  
  
She watched as he had powered up time and again, successfully defeating his enemies with a gracefulness and the ease only Suave could achieve. She felt the enemies' pain as he ran the blade of his large sword through their gut, the blood running down the other side that stuck out through them. She felt the victory he felt as he won for his first few times and then she was pounded with his boredom as he found no opponent worthy of his strength.  
  
Then she saw an image of her flash across the screen and she was hit with a mix of emotions as the memory of Suave picking up the child of her played. Both fear and excitement of the power than swam through her veins. Sadness and sympathy for the fact that she was left abandoned, simply crying in the streets. And love... Above all, she felt the love of a father coming from him. Skillet pushed herself away from the memory and shuddered lightly. If she was going to kill this man, she could have no soft feelings for him. She delved further into the memory slot, looking at the images of the many others in his life. She came across an interesting memory with a smile. Falean.   
  
She watched the image walk up to her, heels clicking as flaming red hair swayed gently from side to side. She had a calm complexion, her blue eyes glittering with love and life. Her form was clothed in a silk blue ballroom dress, hugging all her curves. She felt Suave's heart rate speed up at the memory of the girl as she approached him. He was much younger than, but still appeared the same way he did now. He was clothed in a classical tuxedo, a soft smile gracing his lips.  
  
She leaned down a little, looking at him through her eyelashes playfully. She looked him up and down before standing up right again, tilting her head to the side with a bright smile. She held out her right hand to him expectantly, "You're the cutest guy here... Dance with me?"  
  
Suave took a sip of his drink and casually leaned back against the wall. He was always one to toy around for a while. He shot her a sly smile before setting the drink upon the table, shrugging one shoulder gently, "I don't know how."  
  
"Now if that isn't the biggest lie," She said softly, her smile growing as he took her hand within his. He grasped it softly, slowly tracing his thumb up and down against the back of her palm before bringing it to his lips. When he rose his gaze back up to her, her watched as she tried to hide the faint blush staining her cheeks.  
  
Skillet turned and walked away from the scene as the two went out to the floor and began to dance. She had remembered that woman, but she never knew what had happened to her. Suave had suddenly shut up about her and he would tense up whenever somebody bothered to mention her.   
  
Skillet flipped through his memory like it was a stack of cards, looking for the last memory of Falean. Once she came upon it, she lifted it up into his mind, watching it play before her. Instantly she was hit with his anger as she entered the vision. Falean was backed against the wall in fear, watching as Suave turned his glare to a man with jet black hair, lined with silver. He had violet eyes, shining like her own and he watched Suave with a calm look.  
  
Suave had let a scream rack his body before flinging himself forward, racing at the man. The man slipped to the side easily and Suave punched at the air, surprising lighting his features as he turned to face the man. The man had moved over to Falean and had a handful of her hair twisted in his hand, a dagger held to her neck.  
  
"Back off Suave, you don't want anything bad to happen to her, do you?" Suave's eyes turned to the battle raging around them. The sky was a dark red, stained with the blood thrown through the sky as a war struck up. They were fighting over the keeper of the stone, Skillet had heard about this fight. Most of the people battling were falling to the ground in bloody defeat, their eyes shutting for a final time. They raced at each other with swords and others reached in for their magic stashes, casting them down upon the weak in a hope for victory.  
  
Suave stared at the man coldly, slowly taking a step forward as he held up a fist, his voice growing hard, "You dare hurt her and you will die, Meirock!"  
  
The man let out a screech of laughter as he watched Suave in complete interest. The stone around his neck glowed vibrantly, the color of violet. His mind had shifted and he was evil now, so it was time for a new master of the stone. The reason why the battle had come up in the first place.  
  
"What a nice way to speak to me..." Meirock said thoughtfully before shrugging one should elegantly, slipping the dagger away from Falean's throat. Suave let out a sigh of relief and Falean started to run to him, only to stop as a sword was plunged into her backside, sliding out the other side. Suave stared at the gleaming blade, watching as her blood dripped off of it and she came crashing to the ground.  
  
"Falean, No!" Suave screamed out, ripping his own dagger out it's sheath around his belt before he really knew what he was doing. His form lifted into the air and his eyes glowed silver as he twirled once, flinging the dagger straight at Meirock.   
  
Before Meirock could react to the assault, the dagger plunged into his forehead, blood streaming down from the cut. The stone around his neck glowed brighter, slipping away from him as he fell to the ground. Suave reached out and grasped it in his hand, green flooding the red sky, the fighting coming to a stop.  
  
The other fighters turned to face their new leader, blinking slightly when they saw it was Suave. He was crouched over the dead body of Falean, tears streaming from his eyes as he stared down at her, "Falean..."  
  
Skillet gasped against the pain she felt, feeling it pull her in. She quickly left his memories, returning up higher and finding that Suave had now slipped into a deep sleep. She slipped past through her mind and her eyes flew wide open as she stared straight ahead, gasping for air.  
  
Never had she felt so much pain coming from one person. He had gained the stone, but had lost so much more in the fight for it. She almost let a tear slip down her cheek at the thought, but stopped it. She couldn't feel sympathy for the man... Not when she was this close to winning. He had suffered then and he would definitely suffer more after she was done with him. But she needed that power... She wanted the feel of it surging through her. That stone would give it to her, but also give Suave insanity, but maybe that's what he needed... To be pulled away from his memories.  
  
Skillet walked around to the front of his house and glared down at the doorknob for a long moment, watching as the gold began to crackle gently, the door clicking open. She slipped inside and quietly shut the door behind herself, looking around the darkened house. She raised the glowing of her eyes, causing a violet light to brighten the area. She walked down the hallway and to Suave's room.  
  
The door was halfway open, so she slipped inside without bothering the door in the slightest. Her eyes dimmed and she used her magic to gently lift her off of the floor, floating over to Suave. She crossed her arms over her chest and floated directly above him, laying in the air as she stared down at his sleeping form.  
  
"Wake up, Suave," Skillet whispered gently, lovingly brushing a strand of his hair away from his face. His eyes flew open and he looked up to the Skillet floating above him, encased in a sparkling aura.  
  
She looked down at him with a calm expression and he searched the blankets for his stone. She smiled gently, lifting the item with her mind and feeling it brush along her hand, grabbing it before holding it up for Suave to see, "Looking for this?"  
  
He reached out for it and she closed her hand around the stone, a bright light invading the room, causing Suave to shield his eyes. When the light faded, he looked back to Skillet, watching as she scattered the dust from the stone onto the blankets of his bed. A look of horror entered his eyes as he felt the power from the possession fade quickly before completely disappearing.  
  
"I believe I've said this before, but..." She began with a smile, watching his eyes darken, "Poor, poor Suave."  
  
With a shriek, he jumped up into the air, causing Skillet's shield and magic to fly off as she was slammed back against the wall. She shielded herself as the glass in his room exploded around her, his energy shooting up quickly. She opened her eyes and looked to him, finding that his eyes were now black, the stone around his neck glowing and his hair fading the dark green it usually did when his temper rose.  
  
Skillet allowed a gentle laugh to escape her lips as she reached waved her hand in the air, grasping the hilt of a medieval sword that slowly appeared. The carvings in it twirled around the many shaded purple stones encrusted into it. The blade extended out, the design of a spiral galaxy craved into the metal, the marking glowing menacingly. She removed her cape and tossed it aside easily.  
  
Suave's head turned quickly to the side, causing his sword to snap to attention, the hilt flying to his hand. He swirled it around before dropping into a fighting stance, staring at Skillet. She couldn't help but laugh at his attire, finding he was fighting in only his boxers and a necklace. Shaking her head gently, she allowed her gaze to harden, "Let's do this."  
  
She felt her heart begin to pump faster as she ran towards Suave with a loud yell, pulling the sword back before thrusting it forward at his gut. He swerved quickly to the side, clanging the metal blade of his sword against hers. Sparks flew into the air at this motion and Skillet twirled her blade along his, flipping it up enough to swipe at his neck.   
  
Suave dropped down to the grounds, watching as a few strands of his hair slowly fluttered to the ground. She drew the blade up higher before thrusting it down at his head. Suave turned the blade to its side, quickly bringing it above his head to meet her sword. He slammed her sword up with his and swiped at her legs which she easily avoided by jumping momentarily into the air.  
  
"You can't win, Suave," Skillet called out as he jumped up to face her, their blades caught together between them. They glared hard at each other before pushing away, Suave spinning as he backed away, extending his arm and swinging the blade at her waist.  
  
"Yes, I can!" He yelled out almost triumphantly. Skillet let out a gentle laugh, bringing the blade of her sword down to meet his, jumping back enough to swirl her blade around his once more.  
  
Skillet dropped her blade lower this time, jabbing the point of her blade toward his groin. With a disturbed gasp, Suave jumped back and clashed his sword against hers with such strength that Skillet was tossed to the side.  
  
She screamed in anger, righting herself before she fell to the floor. Suave held out his left hand, running at her with the hilt of the sword in his right. He prepared to swipe the blade down at her and she swirled her sword up to meet his, using her knee to jab him in the gut. Suave lost his air and toppled to the ground with a gasp, trying to stand. She swung the blade against his hand, causing a cut to break his skin and he dropped the sword. She ran forward and kicked it away before he could reach for it again.  
  
"You're done, Suave," She said with a cold smirk, kneeling down and grasping the stone in her hand before ripping it off the chain. An amazed expression entered her eyes as she floated up into the air, feeling complete power encase her form.  
  
"No!" Suave screamed, his world spinning quickly as his mind slipped into insanity. He felt his power raise up higher than it had ever been before, his eyes glowing a bright silver as he dropped onto the ground, his mind slipping from him as he felt himself stick into place.  
  
Skillet looked down at him and laughed happily, the green light that filled the room quickly changing to the violet color of her eyes. She felt the power surging through her veins as she allowed the stone to bond to her. She shut her eyes, giving into the power. 


	10. What can stop her now?

Suave felt himself spinning further and further as everything was sucked from him. His mouth was opened wide in a silent scream and his fingers dug at the floor, searching for a way out helplessly. He was trapped, not just in a dream, but in this eternal palace of his thoughts. He shut his eyes tightly against the flashes of the memories pulled away from him, thanks to the stone.   
  
"No," Suave whispered silently, the noise reaching only his ears and dissipating immediately after.   
  
He still heard the laughter of Skillet, almost as if it were in the back of his mind. He could see everything that went on around him, but from afar, like he was trapped in a theater. He let a sigh pass his lips and watched as an image of Skillet appeared above him as she slowly walked over to him.  
  
"Well, well, Suave..." She started with a smirk, glaring down at him with that smile of hers, "It appears I have won against you."  
  
He wanted to scream against it, to jump up and attack her until there was nothing left but dust. But he couldn't, he was stuck staring up at her with that distant expression laying upon his face. He felt his anger growing in him, and he would have blinked at what he sensed, if he were able to.  
  
His power was so much stronger than before, it vibrated through his body with a sensation he had never felt before. His eyes glowed brightly with a powerful gleam, the only thing seemingly threatening about him. She simply smiled at it, though... She knew that he was no longer the keeper of the stone. She knew that she had won against the all mighty Suave.  
  
"Poor Suave," She whispered, drawing her left foot back. He felt his body tense up as he braced for the impact. He winced inwardly as she dug the toe of her shoe straight into his side, holding nothing back.  
  
Blood stained his lips, seeping past them slowly at the attack. She grinned in response and pulled back her foot against before kicking him once more. Again, the same reaction happened and she began to dig her heel into his chest with a hard grinding motion. He was screaming inside, feeling the pain run through him, yet not being able to do anything to prevent it.  
  
She seemed almost gleeful as she beat him slowly, taking her time like she had all of it. And to be honest, she probably had all the time now... With that stone and the strength of her powers, who knew what she could do? She would probably find a way to strengthen the stone... Something to make her stronger than anyone who decided to challenge her. He wouldn't be one to do that... How could he when he was stuck like this? He was at her mercy...  
  
Skillet...  
  
Skillet's head jerked up as her eyes widened, the voice suddenly invading her mind. She allowed a brighter smile to settle upon her lips as she recognized the voice as Spectra. It was about time that the man died... She was done with him and she had her power now. She was able to blame it on Suave himself, too... The others didn't even suspect a thing. It was perfect.  
  
"It's been fun, Suave," Skillet said softly, bringing one arm across her as she bowed gracefully, her one arm outstretched to the left.  
  
Suave stared at her, what more could he do? He watched as the stone... His stone... Glowed a bright violet upon her neck. It was hauntingly suited to her, matching her eyes lovely. He mentally smacked himself, trying to get his thoughts back to his current position. Glare, Suave... Glare.  
  
"Enjoy," She said, allowing a giggle to escape her lips before she turned. As she turned, a flurry of raven feathers engulfed her image, scattering across the room as she faded away.  
  
Skillet walked through the metallic liquid, on her way to meet Spectra for the last time. Her mind was other places, though, her hands thoughtfully playing with the stone as she gazed down at it. It was finally hers and Suave was gone. She would go back and retrieve his powers later, but right now she had someone to kill.  
  
She had been hit with so many images once that stone changed colors. Images of all the people who had held the stone before and their defeats along with the others triumph. She had seen the man that Suave had killed and the one before him... Meirock had been an apprentice to that man and he was given the stone before the man had died.  
  
Then there was Suave's life that flashed through her mind, most of the images things she either experienced or had searched through before. Then she was covered in a rush of power as she saw her victory shimmer across before she was given her mental state back.   
  
Skillet listened to the soft click of her heels against the ground as she walked towards the door ahead of her. She reached out and grasped the handle, feeling an icy chill run through her. She could feel him on the other side of the door, but it was different... Almost completely cruel. She braced herself and turned the handle, a bright light shining as she stepped past the liquid that appeared.  
  
"Skillet," Spectra whispered softly as he looked up to her, a grin on his lips. She stared at him for a long moment, blinking gently. He had been drinking, she could tell by the sway in his step and the look in his eyes. Not just alcohol, though... Pure power. He was drunk on magic.  
  
Skillet gave him a gently smile before slowly making her way to the fireplace, only to be cut off as he stepped in front of her. He still had that grin on his lips and he reached out to fondle one of her breasts. Her eyes widened and she pulled away quickly, swinging at him. His head flew to the side at the force of her smack and he attempted to regain his balance.  
  
"Bitch," He stated with a growl before grabbing her wrists in his hands, clenching fists around him.  
  
"Whore," She answered, smiling at his pathetic attempt to harm her. She flicked her wrists gently and his hands were instantly pushed away against his own will. He stared at her in surprise, feeling a power radiate off of her.  
  
"That... Stone..." He said slowly, treasuring each word as he stared at the item she wore around her neck. She placed her right hand over it securely, still staring at him.  
  
"Yes, I was able to get it away from Suave," She said with a smile, a look of victory entering her eyes, "It's mine now."  
  
"What's it do?" He slurred, moving up closer to her to play with her hair. She flinched and pulled away from him.  
  
"Well, it enhances one's power greatly. I'm pretty sure I can manipulate it to make the owner the strongest person around... Possibly even eternally," Skillet said, her smile softening as she looked down at her treasure.  
  
Spectra smiled softly, his eyes staring at the stone. He uncontrollably took a step forward, feeling awe incase him as he watched his reflection in it. He could have all the power he may ever want with that stone. He could have anything he desired with that power... No matter what it was. He decided that he had to have it. Skillet wasn't the most important thing... Now that stone was.  
  
"Give it to me," He said sternly, his gaze ripped from the stone to stare into her eyes. He began to close in on her and she stumbled back, her eyes widening just slightly, despite the smile that still rested upon her lips.  
  
"No, Spectra," She stated, her smile fading as an icy glare entered her eyes, "I worked to get this stone from Suave. I had plenty of planning... If you want it, you'll have to work for it. And trust me, Spectra... I won't give up this stone easily."  
  
He nodded slowly, a glare entering his red eyes as well. A smile crossed his lips and he ran a hand through his blue hair, allowing some strands to dangle in front of his eyes. Skillet braced herself as he walked over to her and eventually, he backed her into a corner. That look in his eyes.... She didn't trust it at all.  
  
Suddenly, he jumped at her, shoving either of his hands upon her shoulders and violently forcing her against the wall as he pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes widened, a looking of pain crossing them as the back of her head met the wall. She felt anger grow within her and the stone shone a bright violet, lilac flames dancing around the room. Spectra pulled away from her, looking around the room in shock before looking back to her.  
  
Her eyes were bright violets, her hair swaying gently as the power build up around her, enhanced by the stone. She held up her right hand, a light forming in the center of her palm. Spectra turned to make a run for it, but it was too late.  
  
"Encase!" She screamed out, causing a thin shield of lavender to cover him. Spectra let out a loud scream as his form hit the power, a shock running through him.  
  
"Take in!" She continued and Spectra's screams grew louder as all his energy, every power he ever had was sucked in by the shield around him. She drew the shield in after his power had been stolen, the shield flowing into the stone. She smiled softly, feeling a raise in her power. He stared at her in shock, now fallen upon the floor, too weak to stand.  
  
"Vanquish," She muttered with a wave of her hand. A bright stream of light flew out at Spectra and she turned away, slowly walking to the door as she listened to the last of his screams slowly fade into the night. 


	11. Time Travelers

Skillet couldn't help but laugh gleefully as she gently skipped across the pavement, a bright smile lighting her lips for the first time in a while. Not one of those forced ones, but an honest sign of happiness. After all those times of losing to Suave, she had finally won. She had took his most important possession, and it wasn't the stone. She stole his life, his sanity... Everything keeping him alive.  
  
She allowed her smile to soften as she shook her head slowly. Now he had nothing to live for and yet, he could never die. The strongest being in the universe, even without the stone... And he was stuck in place forever. She felt a wave of giddiness run over her as she continued to skip lightly along the pavement. The stone bounced gently upon her chest, the gleam from it still apparent.  
  
"I feel like a child again," Skillet stated to herself, finishing her skipping as she began to walk.  
  
"Is that so?" Trunks said softly, drawing her attention. She allowed her smile to grow as she turned around to face him. Slowly, she tilted her head to the side and waved before running up to him.  
  
"Trunks," She said with a contented sigh as her gaze fell into those icy blue eyes of his, "I've missed you."  
  
"It's only been a short while, Skillet," Trunks stated with a gentle smile. She shrugged her right shoulder elegantly, stepping closer to him and bringing her eyes to a close as she was pulled into his embrace.  
  
"Does that mean I can't miss you?" She questioned, a hint of playfulness sounded in her voice, "I could go for a little while... Then I can really miss you."  
  
"No, no, no..." He said, his eyes widening slightly as he shook his head quickly. She opened her eyes and turned her gaze up to him with a smile.  
  
Trunks was one person she had come to care for. Not enough to the point where she wouldn't kill him if needed, but he was as close to her as Suave was. He actually made her feel wanted and she felt safe being held in his strong arms. The things he could do just to make a smile fall upon her lips, or the flattering things that he said. He always knew the right thing to say.  
  
Trunks stared down at Skillet, his smile only growing as he did so. Her violet eyes sparkled up at him and he began to wonder how he had got her. He pulled her closer to him, loving the feel. He cared for her so much, he never wanted to let her go. She had such a caring heart... How could Suave had attacked her?  
  
Suddenly, he felt his world fade to black as a ton of images hit him. He could only hear the terrible screams at first, the painful yells. Then he saw his best friend, Goten, flash across his visions. Goten had fear written in his eyes and he had a dagger plunged into his stomach. Not too long after the word, 'explode,' had been whispered and Goten was splattered across the scenery. He could hear the cruel laughter, but couldn't see the killer.  
  
Then he saw Suave in his mind, his lips locked with those of another. Suddenly, Suave had sent the other person into the wall, their figure hitting the ground. There was a fight, but through it all, he still couldn't see the person. Every power thrown at them, they were still able to remain in the shadows.  
  
Then he saw the stone Suave always wore, ripped from his neck. Suave's eyes had widened in fear and anger as he fell down to the ground, his eyes glowing a bright silver as he came to be stuck on the floor. The figure grasped the stone tightly and a violet light flooded the room, passing over the figure and revealing it to be Skillet.  
  
Trunks' eyes widened in shock and he pushed Skillet away from him, taking a few steps and staring at her. She was interrupted from her dreamy thoughts and watched him with a confused, questioning expression. He took a single step forward, a glare entering his eyes as he tried to hold back his anger.  
  
"You... You killed them both," Trunks growled through clenched teeth, his hands curling into tight fists. Skillet watched him in silent surprise, smiling gently before she nodded.  
  
"Actually, I killed Goten... Suave is alive, but he can't help you or anyone now," Skillet said simply, shrugging. There was little point in hiding it from Trunks and she would be leaving soon, after all.  
  
Trunks brought his left hand back, not bothering to hide the insane anger running through him. Skillet looked at his hand questioningly, tilting her head a little to the side as a soft laugh escaped her lips. She walked closer to him and took his fist with her hand, squeezing it gently. The stone around her neck began to glow brighter and she heard Trunks hiss with pain as the bones in his closed fist began to crack.  
  
"You wouldn't dare think of hitting me, would you?" Skillet asked almost innocently, mock surprise resting in her eyes. He looked to the stone around her neck with a shocked expression before his gaze flew back to her eyes.  
  
"You bitch!" He shouted. She tilted his fist to the side, slowly twisting it and listening as the bones in his wrist slowly snapped.  
  
"I wouldn't say such things if I were in your position, dearest," She whispered to him, allowing gentleness to drip from her voice. She gave him a soft smile, her other hand playing with his shirt. He continued to glare at her and she locked her gaze with his again, slowly closing her hand a bit more around his, eliciting another gasp from Trunks. She shook her head slowly, "You don't want me to kill you."  
  
With that said, Skillet released his hand and shoved him roughly away from her. Trunks stumbled back a few steps before righting himself, turning to face her completely, quietly mumbling "I will get you back for this."  
  
"You think?" Skillet allowed a gentle laugh to escape her lips, shaking her head slowly before turning her gaze back to Trunks, "Don't be so sure."  
  
"What do you mean?" Trunks questioned, a confused look entering his eyes as he involuntarily took a step towards her.  
  
"I'll be gone very soon, Trunks," She said, slowly walking over to him. He didn't bother to resist as she slipped her arms about his waist. He suddenly felt so weak in her embrace, his body not responding to the movements he wanted to make.  
  
"To where?" He asked, tilting his head slowly to the side. He let his gaze fall deep into hers... So violet.  
  
"Out of this world," She responded with a laugh before allowing a serious look to spread across her expression once more, "Into the other dimensions... Into the other times before now."  
  
She had a hold on him, controlling him as if he were her little puppet. She could already tell he knew by the strain he had, trying to push her away, "What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, now that I have Suave's stone to myself, I can travel to the past... Future... Anywhere I may ever want to go," She began softly, a distant look shining in her eyes, "With Suave out of the way I can do whatever I want... And for all eternity, too. Once I enhance the power of this stone, my powers will be limitless."  
  
"Skillet... The power-hungry girl," Trunks said with a smile. Suddenly, he felt the hold she had on him fade and she released him from her arms, stepping away.   
  
"Trunks, leave now. If you just go, I won't kill you... There's not much you can do to stop me, so I see little reason to do away with you," Skillet said, her gaze still locked with his, "Besides, I always did like you."  
  
Skillet nodded a dismissal and turned away from Trunks, slowly walking off to prepare herself for the other worlds. Trunks stared after her with an almost hurt expression. She had destroyed Suave and killed Goten, but there had to be something he could still do. There had to be some way to bring Suave back and if he could find it, it would be done.  
  
Trunks raised his power level and took off into the air, traveling towards Suave's house with determination running through his veins. He had been on his way there anyway, since he wasn't able to find Skillet, he was worried she had gone there. If only he had been wrong... If only Suave was all right. He wasn't lying after all, his dear Skillet had tried going after his stone. Nothing to be surprised about, she got what she had wanted.  
  
Trunks lowered his power, landing easily on the ground. He brought his one hand to his injured one, wincing in pain. She had really done a number on him without even trying. Trunks shook his head slowly and pushed the door open, walking into the house. It seemed perfectly normal, but an odd feeling hung in the air.  
  
The place almost seemed as if it had been abandoned forever, and it almost was. No one had really occupied the place since Suave had left for those few years and Suave had only retreated to this place after being pushed away.  
  
Trunks slowly walked through the rooms, searching for his companion with little luck. He would have shouted, but he had doubt that Suave would be able to answer him if what Skillet said was true. She wasn't one to always lie either, not when she didn't have to hide something.  
  
  
He took a step back in surprise as his ears suddenly picked up on the sound of whispers in the room down the hall. Cautiously, he began his way to the slightly opened door, pushing past it and peaking inside.  
  
The were two women kneeling over the form of Suave, shock written on their expressions. They were both lovely, their blue and brown hair shining in the light that swam into the room. Slowly, he walked into the room and they stood up quickly, sensing his presence. Their eyes widened as they stared at him, one of them stepping forward.  
  
Her hair was a soft brown, coming down to her shoulders in waves, her eyes a brilliant golden. She had a simple white shirt and a brown skirt clinging to her slim agile figure. Standing behind her was a girl with light blue hair that came past her shoulders, ending just above her waist in waves. Her eyes were a soft gray and her slim form was clothed in a powder blue bikini and pink lace wrapped about her.  
  
"Sir?" The brown haired one asked, drawing his attention back to her eyes. He allowed a blush to creep into his cheeks before he nodded slowly.  
  
"Trunks," He said simply. A look of remembrance lit their eyes and they looked to each other with a nod.  
  
"I'm Sei-fuu," Sei-fuu answered, returning her gaze to Trunks as she gestured at the other, "That's Butterfly."  
  
"Well, now that we know each other, what's wrong with Suave?" Trunks asked, stepping closer to the fallen Kai.   
  
"Skillet got his stone. When that is taken from the owner, they lose their mind and become stuck where they fall," Sei-fuu said softly, her gaze dropping.  
  
"Is there anything we can do?" Trunks asked, kneeling down and shaking his head slowly.  
  
"Actually, yes," Sei-fuu started, a sad tone entering her voice as she kneeled down beside Suave as well, "I'll have to give my life to have him come back."  
  
"I think we'll need him back... Skillet is planning to travel the dimensions and she's far too strong for me or the other fighters to stop her," Trunks said softly before standing up, Butterfly turning him to face her, an amazed look in her eyes.  
  
"Other dimensions?" Butterfly began, shaking her head quickly, "She can't do that! She could change the future... The present... Who knows what she could do?"  
  
"Yea, but what are we supposed to do once she's in the other dimensions, Butterfly?" Sei-fuu asked, her gaze never leaving Suave.  
  
"If you give your life for him, then I'll give mine to send Suave and Trunks into the dimensions, the rest is on their own," Butterfly said, watching Sei-fuu before looking back to Trunks, "I can't promise you that you'll ever find her, or that you'll ever get back home... Or even if you'll live through it."  
  
"If there's a chance of saving everyone, then I'll go through with it," Trunks said simply, a calm look resting in his eyes. Butterfly smiled softly at his braveness, nodding slowly.  
  
"It's settled, then..." Sei-fuu said. Trunks looked over to the girl and sighed softly, moving over to her before placing his hands on her shoulders.  
  
"If there's a way to bring you back later on... I will find it," Trunks said, assuring Sei-fuu and drawing a smile from both the girls.   
  
"Well, wish me luck," Sei-fuu said, placing her hands upon Suave's chest before allowing her eyes to slip shut. Trunks moved away from the two, coming to stand in the doorway along with Butterfly.   
  
"Ikiru!" Sei-fuu shouted out, her head tilting back just slightly. The ground began to shake with the power building up between Suave and her. Her arms began to tremble and she shut her eyes tightly, feeling herself slowly begin to leave. A bright light surrounded the two and when it faded, Sei-fuu was gone. Suave laid on the floor, the same way he had been before.  
  
Trunks and Butterfly stood in the doorway, staring at Suave in silent hope. Moments passed and nothing happened and they began to draw closer to his form. Slowly, his eyelids began to flutter and they drew in a gasp of air as he sat up, slowly scanning the room with his glowing eyes.   
  
"Suave!" Trunks shouted out before Butterfly shoved Trunks forward. No time could be wasted now, she had to get them into the dimension before her power gave out. Without Sei-fuu around, she didn't have much left.  
  
"Tabisuru!" Butterfly yelled quickly. Both Trunks and Suave looked to her in shock as they felt themselves being pulled from the world. They saw a light spin up around Butterfly and she faded away, then they were thrown into the dimensions.  
  
Skillet smiled softly at her surroundings, nodding to herself as she grabbed the stone that hung on the chain about her neck. Closing her eyes, she felt the power encase her and pull her off. A violet light flowed around her, sending her off into her travel through the times and dimensions. 


	12. A child to end all terror?

Skillet felt a scream rip through her throat as she was tossed into a vortex that swirled with colors. Everything was spinning so fast, whirling around her and tossing her through the windy prison of color. Her breathing came in short gasps as she searched for more air to support her screams. Her hands came up to her head, clenching at the sides as if trying to rip her own mind out of this place.  
  
The moment she had been pulled into the dimensions, she had been traveling through this cyclone. She almost began to feel her mind slip more than it had already, if that was even possible. She wasn't in pain, but she certainly didn't want to be stuck in a place she didn't know. She had to focus… She had to bring herself out of the area and to a time she wanted.  
  
So many images flashed through her mind and were slowly projected across the colors. Her eyes widened as they slowly scanned the objects that almost seemed as though they were her own memories. Everything she could feel, as if she were there… But none of it was familiar enough to remember. She shuddered at the feel and tried to calm herself, words echoing through the vortex.  
  
"We have to get rid of her," came the hiss of a young male voice. The projection slowly revealed a man as he shut a wooden door behind him. Raven hair twisted into silver-tipped spikes adorned his head, a few longer strands falling in front of his blue eyes. He worn a loose silk, black shirt, the top two buttons left undone. The shirt was messily tucked into his baggy khakis, most of his boots covered by the pant legs. A look of annoyance was held upon his face as he walked over to a group.  
  
"Well, obviously, Kaelen," said a young woman, smiling gently. She had hair crimson hair that fell in curls to her shoulders, her brown eyes sparkling with life. She was clothed in a simple pair of tight black pants and a loose brown tunic, her pant legs tucked into her knee-high boots. Slowly, the woman stood and walked over to Kaelen.   
  
The others in the room seemed to keep quiet, cluttering around a table. There were two twins, one a girl and the other a boy. They both had blonde hair, the girl's falling loosely to her shoulders and the boy's hair cut short and unkempt. They wore similar outfits, khakis and a dark blue, wool shirt. Their emerald-eyed gazes were left held on the table top.  
  
To the left of them was an older man, his boots kicked up onto the table as he relaxed in a tilted chair. His gaze was tilted down, but the glimmer of his brilliant golden eyes could still be seen. His brown hair was kept in a messy fashion, draping here and there. He wore a white tank-top, covered by a leather jacket and matching loose, black pants.  
  
"Margaret," A voice whispered gently from a dark corner in the room. The creaking sound of someone standing from a chair was heard as the figure stepped into the light. She wore a black cape, the hood pushed back to reveal her blonde hair, set in gentle curls, her violet eyes gleaming gently in the light. Most of her outfit was covered by the light fluttered of the cloak, but one could tell she had a slim, agile figure.  
  
"Yes, Laomae?" Margaret asked, turning to face the girl. Kaelen slowly walked to stand beside Margaret, gently taking her hand and lacing his fingers with hers.  
  
"There will be a child born," Laomae began with a gentle smile, "She will be the next sorceress… If we can teach this child well, she will bring Skillet's reign of terror to a stop."  
  
Skillet felt a gasp run through her body and the images fled just as quickly as she let the air go. She let out a loud scream as the colors faded and she felt herself racing down towards the ground. She had left the vortex and she was now in a new time, traveling towards the Earth. It wasn't too long a fall at all, which she had to be thankful for.   
  
She hit the dirt with a thud and a slight groan, shaking her head gently as she attempted to push herself up. She took in a long breath, almost enjoying the smell of dirt freshly soaked after a gentle rain. After she sat up, she pushed herself to her feet, proceeding to wipe her hands together, watching as the dirt slowly fell between her fingers.  
  
"A child… That can destroy me?" Skillet said before allowing a laugh to escape her lips. She took a moment to scan the area, a momentary pull of fear washing over her.  
  
"Now to find out where I am…" she whispered to herself. She felt relief fall upon her as her gaze fell upon a small village not too far away, the soft glow of light looking almost inviting. Skillet smiled softly and turned to the side, "Come on you... Guys…"  
  
Skillet stared blankly at the open field, suddenly feeling a slightly odd feeling wash over her. She quickly shrugged it off and turned towards the village. She calmly watched the glow for a moment, taking in a deep breath of air. Slowly, she released it in a sigh before taking off towards the village.  
  
Suave felt a chill run up and down his spin, his eyes coming to a tight close. He had finally lost himself in this time vortex Butterfly had placed him in. He felt Trunks' presence near by and opened his mouth to call for him, finding it a hopeless battle. It was too cold and too dark... He had to focus on finding his way to time. Finding his way to Skillet...  
  
"Found her," Trunks shouted out, causing Suave to snap back to reality. Trunks had dove into his senses, searching for the girl and it was no surprise that he had found her so easily, "Believe it or not, she's still on Earth... She is in a different time, though. A really old time, too. Not unlike her... She always did seem to like the medieval times, I wonder if she found it purposely."   
  
Suave allowed a slightly annoyed expression to cross though his eyes at Trunks' reminiscing. He searched through Trunks' mind, finding all that he needed to through them into the time Skillet had chosen and he slowly walked over to Trunks, grasping his shoulder with a soft smile.  
  
"Catch your breath," Suave muttered simply, feeling the wind pick up around them. Trunks sucked in his air just before they were thrown forward, the vortex spiraling quickly around them before fading to reveal a village. Suave had already mastered the way to travel, it was simple enough.  
  
They stepped out of the spinning vortex, turning in time to watch the colors fade as it disappeared. Suave smiled gently before turning away from it, glancing to Trunks for a single moment, "Let's go."  
  
The city was loud with the bustle of people, scurrying about to the bars and such. It seemed to be a typical party night from what Suave could see. Trunks' gaze wandered around in interest at the young girls in their short skirts that slowly walked up and down the streets. Suave glanced to the younger boy in amusement before shaking his head slowly, turning his attention back to the streets.  
  
"Hey boys," A high-pitched voiced girl called, waving her hand to the two of them. Trunks gratefully waved back and Suave simply shrugged it off, adjusting his cloak and slowly drawing the hood over his head.  
  
"Suave, not a party animal?" Trunks asked with a slight laugh. Suave turned to face him, shooting him a daring smile before coming to a stop, scanning the dingy bars signs.  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you Trunks. I was caught in insanity, my stone was stolen, one of the people closest to me has seemingly gone either insane or evil... Possibly both. No, I don't feel like a party animal," Suave stated, watching as Trunks blinked slightly, "At least not yet."  
  
The young Saiya-jin simply smiled with a nod and they took off towards a bar. The sign seemed freshly washed, so Suave gave it a bit of his trust. He pushed past the door and felt his breath become caught in his throat.  
  
It was Falean, bent gently over the bar table, her red curls of hair draping about her face, but he could still see her blue eyes, filled with life and love. She wore a light blue dress, tied up in the front by dark blue lace. The bottom of the dress spread out in the blue lace, covering her shoes from sight. Slowly, she brought her glass down to the table top before looking up to him.   
  
Their eyes met and he could almost feel his heart stop for a single moment in time. He wanted to run to her, sweep her up into his arms and never let go again. She allowed a soft smile to touch her ruby stained lips before standing up, gracefully walking over to him.   
  
"I could help but notice you, sir," She began, her smile becoming even more sweet as she reached out for his hand, "My name is Falean... Yours?"  
  
He opened his mouth for a moment, but no words came out. He blinked lightly, simply staring at the girl and soon enough, she began to laugh softly. Slowly, he was pulled to his senses and he took her hand gently, calming bringing it to his lips before releasing it, "Suave, my sweet Falean."  
  
A blush crept into her cheeks and she dropped her gaze for a moment, nervously bringing her hands together. Trunks watched them both in amusement, a quiet smile slipping upon his lips. Slowly, she brought her gaze back to Suave, "You flatter, sir."  
  
Suave allowed a soft laugh to escape his lips, reaching out and taking either of her hands in his, "No amount of flattering I could do would give you proper justice."  
  
She smiled softly at him, her gaze wandering to one of the rooms in the far back before she returned her gaze to him, "I'm part-owner of this store... Come with me."  
  
Trunks watched the two slowly walk off, blinking slightly. He slowly tilted his head to the right, taking a single moment to wonder. Gently, her shrugged, wandering out of the bar and into the streets. He had to think, and a bar wasn't the place to do it. 


	13. Saedyn

Skillet allowed the bottom of her shoes to gently scrape along the gravel as she slowly walked through the streets. She had pulled her cloak protectively around her form, attempting to ignore some of the stares. She dropped her gaze to the ground for a moment, her gaze glazed over with a calm, distant look.  
  
What had that dream meant... Or was it not a dream at all? Skillet had almost believed from the start that it was a premonition. She didn't understand the comment on her reign of terror, though. She wasn't going after anyone at the moment. Now, she just wanted to visit the times and get used to it. Suave was gone and she had the world to herself, all the power she needed. She wanted to relax and explore.  
  
"Hello little lady," she heard a husky voice state from behind her. The last thing she needed was to deal with a bunch of barbarians. She continued to walk, pushing the annoyance in the back of her mind.  
  
"I said, hello," The man repeated, his voice stronger this time, almost aggravated. She heard his pounding footsteps follow her and as if almost on instinct, she ran.  
  
She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, dirtying her shoes as they clicked against the slightly muddy ground. For a fleeting moment, she considered flying off into the air, but decided against it. This was a new town she was at now and she didn't need to deal with amazed citizens.   
  
Her heart began to pound hard in her chest, causing her to gasp for air. Despite all the noise her shoes made, she could still hear the man calling and running behind her. She couldn't help but smile at the little game she was playing. If she wanted the man dead, it could be done right now, but she felt like toying with him for now. She would lead him out of town and see how it went from there.  
  
"Hey, girl! Stop!" He called, anger rising in his chest. Skillet allowed her smile to grow, whispering a soft word before waving her right hand, causing a bird to appear in the sky, swooping down towards the man.  
  
Skillet brought her eyes to a close, using the hawk's sight for a moment to get a good glimpse at the man. His emerald eyes shone in fear as he saw the hawk flying towards him. He had slightly long raven hair, unkempt so that a few strands fell in front of his eyes. His silk black shirt was unbuttoned so that his well-developed chest was revealed. His pants matched the shirt, a black pair of baggy pants that waved gently as he ran, most of his boots hidden by the pants.   
  
The hawk neared the man and despite the fact that his eyes widened in fear, he didn't stop or turn to run. Skillet's eyes snapped open and she looked forward, causing the hawk to fade inches in front of the man's face. She heard his startled gasp and laughed softly.  
  
Waving her hand once more, her image quickly faded and for that small moment that she traveled through the air, she heard his confused groan. Before allowing her image to appear, she wrapping the fingers of her right hand tightly along his throat. He gasped out loudly as she appeared in front of his suddenly, her blonde hair falling messily in front of her violet eyes that gleamed at him daringly.   
  
The man attempted to move back only to find a wall suddenly placed behind him. He looked back at it for a moment in slight fear before facing her once more, trying to mask his shock. For any other person, he would have done well at this, but Skillet was good at reading people and she could sense his fear already.  
  
"This game was fun, but I don't want to run forever," She whispered gently and watched as he tilted his head to the side, confusion resting in his eyes.  
  
"Game?" He asked, his voice wavering for a moment. He inwardly cursed, shaking his head slowly.  
  
"Yea, a game. You think you're actually a challenge for me? You think that was hard?" Skillet questioned, interest resting in her tone.  
  
"A challenge? Well, from the position I'm in now, I'd say it wasn't a challenge at all. Do I think it was hard? Not much is hard for me, dear," He answered, feeling his confidence grow as he allowed a smile to cross his lips.  
  
Skillet raised a single brow for a moment, lowering it as she glanced down for a moment. He followed her gaze as well, a slight cough escaping his lips. She looked back up to him and smiled softly, "I care to differ on that one."  
  
"I bet you would," He stated, his smile growing a bit. Skillet slowly loosened her grip on his neck, watching him closely, "Are we done with this game? Are you done playing tricks with birds?"  
  
Skillet's eyes widened for a brief moment in time before she tilted her head slowly to the side. He watched her reaction in amusement, relishing in her surprise. Her hand slowly dropped from his neck and she shook her head slowly, "How?"  
  
"I can tell by the look in your eyes. You did something with that bird, I can just tell," He began simply, elegantly shrugging one shoulder, "The eyes are the windows to the soul."  
  
"You think so, hmm?" She asked, a curious look resting in her eyes as she leaned closer to him, her gaze locking with his eyes as she smiled, "If you can see things about me through my eyes... Why aren't you running?"  
  
He allowed a bit more interest to enter his eyes as she shrugged once more. Cautiously, he brought his hands up slowly, resting them upon her forearms. His gaze deepened into her eyes after she made no attempt to move away from him, "Why run, Sorceress?"  
  
Skillet gasped in surprise and in the moment that she was taken off guard, he calmly leaned forward and gently brushed his lips to hers. After that, he moved away, the wall behind him fading as he turned and walked off. Skillet made no attempt to follow, simply staring after him in shock, her right hand slowly coming up to brush her lips, a distant look in her eyes.  
  
She had watched him disappear into the distance before she decided to head back to the village, a light feeling resting in her heart. Suddenly, it seemed like all clouds had been cleared, a happy feeling touching her heart. She closed her eyes and calming took in a breath of fresh air before entering the village.  
  
Skillet entered through one of the darker parts of the village and it seemed abandoned at the time. She slowly walked down the gravel, her gaze tilted to the sky as a light ran began to pick up. Slowly, the her dust dried shoes began to clean with the water that fell softly upon them. Suddenly, she heard the gently pat of footsteps start up behind her and felt her body instinctively tense up.  
  
"Well, well, boys... What do we have here?" She heard a voice comment from behind her. Taking in another slow breath, she turned to face the people standing behind her.   
  
There were three of them, the tallest standing in the middle. His one knuckle-gloved hand was clenched into a fist, gently patting against his other hair. The spikes of his red hair gleamed gently with the raindrops that clung to them. His eyes were just as red, staring at her coldly. He had a loose white tank-top along with a leather jacket, khaki pants adorning his legs and slightly covered his black boots.  
  
The one to the left of his had spiked hair as well, except for his was as dark as the night. His eyes shone a light gray, staring at her in interest. His clothing consisted of a black tank-top and a pair of khakis which, just like the other man's, concealed most of his black boots.  
  
The one on the right appeared to be the youngest, his black hair slightly messy, falling here and there, but still remaining in a cute fashion. Some of the strands dangled in front of his emerald eyes that shone with an odd look of pride as he looked at her. His outfit was a simple black tank-top and a pair of khakis along with boots, just like the one to the left of him.  
  
"I don't know, Jesyd. Looks like a little girl to me," The young one spoke up. Skillet gave him a slight glare, shaking her head slowly at the child.  
  
Jesyd slowly walked over to her, taking a moment to gently trace his left hand down her chest. She jumped back from him and turned her glare to him. He allowed a cold smile to touch his lips as he laughed, "What fun this will be."  
  
"The boss likes you," The one on the left said with a smile as Jesyd nodded his approval. Skillet turned her gaze to the boy and smiled gently.  
  
"Good for your boss," She stated simply before slowly turning from them. She began to walk away slowly when she heard a growl come from Jesyd, followed by his stomping footsteps.  
  
"You get back here you little brat, or I'll..." He began. Skillet quickly whirled around to face him, anger flaring in her violet eyes as she took a step towards the man.  
  
"Or you'll what?" She asked, allowing her tone to sound almost daring. Jesyd glared at her for a moment before using his right hand to strike her across the face. Before he could do so, she grabbed his wrist and twisted it lightly to the side, drawing a gasp of pain from the man.  
  
"Get her!" The left one yelled. The younger man looked to him with a smile and nodded. Skillet pushed Jesyd back and watched as the three slowly began to circle her. She wasn't in the mood for games, but she didn't trust them either.  
  
Slowly, she began to back up to one of the buildings, but they continued to move closer to her. She felt her breathing quicken just slightly as she clenched her fists gently. Jesyd allowed another smile to cross his lips and he leapt forward. Skillet braced herself for the hit, shutting her eyes tightly.  
  
The hit never came, though. Slowly, Skillet opened her eyes and blinked slightly when she saw the man from early standing in front of her. He had his left arm spread out protectively, his right hand holding a sword outward, the tip resting menacingly against Jesyd's throat, gleaming softly.  
  
"You stay the hell away from this girl," He began slowly, his voice lowering in a dangerous tone as he stared hard at the three men, "Or you won't live to regret it."  
  
"You think there's much you can do?" Jesyd asked before allowing a laugh to escape his lips for a quick moment. Soon after the laugh had left his lips, he spun away from the blade's tip, unsheathing his own sword. The sound of metal slashing rang through the air as Jesyd slammed his to the other man's.   
  
Skillet slowly backed away toward the wall, pressing against it as she watched the two, anger burning in their eyes as they dared the other to make the next move. Their breathing became slowly gasps and Jesyd allowed a soft smile to touch his lips. Skillet shuddered gently, not all too fond of Jesyd.  
  
"What do you have to gain from trying to save this girl?" Jesyd asked, not bothering to hide the curious tone in his voice.   
  
The man allowed a soft smile to touch his lips, as if he knew his answer right away. He tilted his head gently to the side before answering, shrugging one shoulder casually, "What do I have to lose?"  
  
Jesyd simply nodded at the answer, his gaze wandering for a single moment before he jumped away from the man. The man watched him with a curious look, moving his sword in the way as Jesyd took the first slice at him. The man whirled around the two blades, flinging his up into the air in mid-twirl before grabbing it, swinging it in an arching motion at Jesyd.  
  
The fabric of Jesyd's jacket was almost instantly sliced and he jumped away from the blade with a shout of surprise. A soft smile crossed the man's lips as he smoothly ducked underneath the swiping blade nearing his head. He spun on the ground, slashing the tip of the blade against the man's pants. The bottom of the pants ripped, the skin sliced lightly, blood beginning to stream from the wound.  
  
Jesyd hissed in annoyance as the man jumped into a standing position. Their swords clashed once again and the man swirled his along Jesyd before flipping both the swords into the air. Jesyd gasped, his gaze following his sword. His gaze dropped to the man as he caught a sword in either hand, his soft smile growing.  
  
"Sorry," The man stated simply and swung the his own blade at Jesyd's head. Jesyd ducked away from it, but wasn't able to dodge his own sword that hit him in the lower section. He gasped in pain and fell to the ground, looking up to the man in silent anger.  
  
"Let's get out of here!" The younger one shouted as the other ran to Jesyd, removing the sword before lifting him up and dangling him over his left shoulder, taking off after the younger one.   
  
"That's right! Run!" The man shouted after them with a laugh. He stood there for a while, watching them go. He had almost begun to forget Skillet's presence behind him until he heard her soft foot steps.  
  
He turned to face her and their gazes instantly locked together. He felt a warm feeling surround him and he allowed his smile to soften once more as he slowly walked over to her, "Are you all right?"  
  
"You think people wouldn't be so rude," She said, annoyance resting in her voice. The man laughed softly, drawing her attention back to him. A smile touched her soft lips as she nodded slowly, "I'm fine."  
  
"Good, I wouldn't want anything to happen to my dear Skillet," He answered, taking her hands within his own once he reached her. She stared at him, confusion once more resting in her eyes.  
  
"Who are you?" She asked, her head tilted a little more to the side. He had intrigued her before, but he didn't seem to be done just yet. He smiled softly and released her hands, taking a step back and spreading his arms with an elegant bow.  
  
"Saedyn," He answered before standing up straight once more, reaching out and taking hold of her hands again. Skillet's gaze dropped down to their hands and she couldn't help but smile more.  
  
"Thank you, Saedyn," She said simply, not really being able to find anything else to say to him. He smiled at her softly and gently squeezed her hands, drawing her closer to him.  
  
"You traveled here?" He asked, the question seeming more of a statement. Skillet looked to him, not as surprised as before.  
  
"Yes, from the future," She said simply, shrugging gently. He nodded slowly before turning his gaze back to her eyes, a slight hope shining within them.  
  
"You seem a little lost... Not to mention alone," He began, drawing out his sentence for a moment as he watched her nod gently, "I would be honored to have you stay with me. I don't know this place all that well, but I'm sure I could be more of a help than you left alone."  
  
"You don't live here?" Skillet asked instead of answering his question. He watched her for a long moment before nodding slowly.  
  
"I live away from here... I come to this village for supplies," He said, his smile brightening a moment later, "And of course the occasional beer."  
  
"So, why did you call me in the village?" She asked, the curious look entering her eyes once more. He allowed a soft laugh to escape his lips as he remembered back to earlier.  
  
"There was something about you that caught my interest... Something in your mind," He stated simply with a light shrug, his gaze falling deep into hers, "I was very lucky to come to the village today. It's not everyday I run into someone like you."  
  
"Like me? What am I like?" She asked, removing her hands from his. He nodded slowly, stepping to the side of her and taking her left hand in his right as they began to walk.  
  
"Well, sorceresses always intrigued me," He began. He watched as she winced just slightly before nodding. He smiled softly and dropped his gaze for a moment, "I know it can be hard on you."  
  
She shook her head slowly, but inwardly smiled at his understanding. She squeezed his hand gently before returning to their conversation, "Is that all I'm like? A sorceress?"  
  
"A Saiya-jin," He answered quickly. She stopped walking for a moment, staring at him in surprise before shaking her head slowly, continuing their walk. He laughed softly, "Yea, I know a lot, hmm? To be honest, I always wanted to be trained as a sorcerer. When I saw you and felt the power you had, it sparked my interest. Meeting you only made me more intrigued."  
  
"Really? You've wanted to be a sorcerer, hmm?" She asked. It had seemed like a while since she had held a simple conversation with anyone and she was beginning to enjoy it.  
  
"Yea, I always found them so powerful. I haven't sensed any as powerful as you are, though," He stated, drawing another laugh from her lips as she shook her head slowly.  
  
"You probably won't again," She stated with confidence resting in the tone of her voice. He turned his gaze to her and smiled a bit more, nodding slowly.  
  
"You never answered me," He said before turning his gaze back ahead of them. They were almost out of the town now and they would soon be nearing his place. He figured she should make a decision before he had her away from the village.  
  
He watched her with an almost hopeful expression as she thought. They had come to a stop, standing together and holding each other's hands. He gently traced his thumb along the back of her hand, looking down to their hands as she thought. Skillet looked up to him, her head tilting to the side.  
  
She really didn't mind this guy as much as she thought she would and he seemed to be the first one in a while that really surprised her. He seemed to know so much and she would be needing some help in finding her way around this time. It was probably best she had help so she didn't run into people like Jesyd everyday.   
  
Skillet nodded to herself before squeezes his hand gently, drawing his attention away from their hands and back to her eyes. He still had a hopeful look shining in his eyes and she smiled softly. They continued to walk once again as he waited for her answer.  
  
"I will end up needing help when it comes to finding my way around," Skillet began, looking to him as a smile traced his lips, "And I don't think I'd mind helping you have your dream of being a sorcerer."  
  
"Really?" He asked, looking back to her. He had expected the first part, but the second had taken him by surprise.  
  
"Really," Skillet answered, her smile softening. Her gaze moved ahead of them, but Saedyn continued to look at her, a smile still resting on his lips. He gently squeezed her hand once more, leading her towards his place, enjoying in their conversations along the way. 


	14. In the Same Time

"Butterfly, wait up!" shouted a young voice, followed by the patter of feet. There was laughter in the air and it was a bright, new day. A little girl turned the corner, her chestnut hair shining brilliantly due to the sun. She swayed the bottom of her brown dress from side to side, the white apron flapping up and down as she did so.  
  
"Hmm?" The other girl turned around, her light blue hair swaying gently before coming to rest, the ends stopping at her shoulders. A soft smile lit her lips and slowly she walked over to the girl. Their outfits matched, Butterfly's having white sleeves that came down to her wrists, covered by a spaghetti strapped blue dress, a white apron tied around her waist as well. She came to stop in front of the other girl, a curious look resting in her eyes, "What is it, Sei-fuu?"  
  
"I think new people are in town," Sei-fuu started, lowering her voice so that no one passing by could here her, "One's good... The other..."  
  
Butterfly nodded slowly, her smile growing dim for a moment. She had sensed it, too. It had woken her up the night before, flashes of violet eyes and silver ones, images of the stone and then an older image of her dropping to the ground. By the look resting in Sei-fuu's eyes, Butterfly could tell the same thing had happened to her, "I know."  
  
"Did you know one of them is staying with Saedyn?" Sei-fuu asked, her head tilting a little to the side as she brushed some of her hair behind her left ear. Butterfly blinked gently, shaking her head slowly, "She's a young woman... I saw them leaving town. The other I haven't found, yet."  
  
"Hopefully Saedyn will be all right. Even if I don't know him too well, he seems to know how to take care of himself," Butterfly said simply, shrugging her shoulders gently. Sei-fuu nodded slowly before glancing over to the bar.  
  
"Should we get some breakfast? Falean usually has the tables opened up around this time," Sei-fuu said, already beginning to move toward the smell of breakfast. With a grin, Butterfly nodded and the two walked over to the bar, attempting to push back the feeling of the newcomers... Even if for a while.  
  
Suave awoke slowly, his eyes opening gently before wincing at the invading morning light. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, his gaze wandering to the window with a slightly annoyed look. He shook his head, finding there was little way for him to get back to his sleep again. Slowly, he pushed the covers off of his form, shivering at the slightly chilling air that touched his skin.   
  
"Well, finally. I didn't think we worked that hard last night," Falean said with a soft laugh as she entered the room. Suave glanced over to her with a grin and watched as she gently shut the door behind her, slowly walking over to him. Calmly, he slipped his arms about her slim waist and pulled her into his lap, lovingly tracing her fingertips along her back.  
  
"Sleep well?" She questioned, her gaze remaining locked with his before dropping down lower, her fingers trailing down his bare chest. He tilted his head a little to the side, a sleepy look still resting in his silver eyes.  
  
"Very, but I would have wanted to sleep more," He said, drawing a soft laugh from her lips. He removed one arm from about her waist and brought his hand up to gently cup her chin, drawing her gaze back to his eyes, "How long have you been up?"  
  
"Not too long, Suave," She answered with a casual shrug. Leaning forward, she allowed her lips to gently brush along his own before she slipped out of his arms, standing up. She turned to walk towards the door, but paused, looking back to him with a soft smile, "Get out of bed and get dressed... I'll have breakfast ready for you downstairs."  
  
With a nod, she turned away and walked out the door, gently shutting it once more. He watched her leave and stared at the blank door for a moment more after she had left. He was still in shock at the fact that he had her back. That he could pull her in her arms and she wouldn't fade from his grasp like she seemed to in so many dreams. He had missed her.  
  
With a slight groan, Suave stood to his feet, spreading his arms up into the air in a way of stretching, a light yawn escaping his mouth. He walked over to his pile of clothes that laid upon the chair, lifting up his pair of silk boxers before slipping them on. He just wanted to rest in bed today, but he'd do whatever made Falean happy. With a smile, he continued to dress, thinking of the woman of his dreams.  
  
"Suave will be down in a minute, girls," Falean said as she pushed her way through the door, holding two plates in her hands. Butterfly and Sei-fuu looked up to the woman, smiling brightly with a nod.  
  
"Is he new?" Sei-fuu asked as Falean set down the plates in front of them. Falean pulled out two glasses and set them upon the counter, picked up the pitcher of orange juice.   
  
"You could say that," Falean said with a gentle smile. After filling the two glasses with the orange juice, she lifted them up and handed them to either girl. Sei-fuu and Butterfly gently brought the rim of the glass to their lips, smiling gratefully.   
  
"You could say what, Falean?" Questioned a voice from the other door. Butterfly and Sei-fuu allowed their gazes to wander of to the door, watching as it was pushed open. A man stepped through, his raven hair place in tiny spikes, his silver eyes shining with interest at Falean. He wore a black tank-top and a loose pair of khakis, boots placed upon his feet. Slowly, his gaze wanderer over to the girls sitting at the table and their gazes locked, Suave's eyes filling with slight shock.  
  
Sei-fuu's glass slipped from her hand almost as soon as she slipped her gaze into the silver of his eyes. In the fleeting moment that the glass fell to the floor, she was hit with so many images, she felt as though she would fall to the ground as well. She tried to shut her eyes against it, but found that she couldn't.  
  
She was soaring through the sky as a falcon, searching for Butterfly to tell her about the new danger. There was a danger to the stone and they had to find it and do their best to prevent it. She had found her eventually and they had joined hands before fading to their true forms.   
  
She felt power raging through her as her arms raised to the sky. They were placing their powers in to the protection stone to save the holder of the stone. Her body was shaking as she felt the power run through her veins before moving into the tiny stone. Then she felt her body go limp from exhaustion and fall to the ground.  
  
She remembered walking into the room to check on Suave, finding him stuck to the floor. His stone was gone and he stared up at the ceiling with a distant look resting in his eyes. She had leaned down to him, feeling the power run through her once more as she placed it in him to bring him back. Then she dropped to the ground once more, her eyes shutting.  
  
Butterfly was going through the same images Sei-fuu was, her body trembling just slightly as she released her hold on her glass. She had pictures flowing through her mind, ones she hadn't been through yet, but oddly recognized.   
  
She remembered walking into a house after Sei-fuu had walked in, leading down a hallway. Pushing past the door, they had entered Suave's room. After a short discussion, they had given him the stone and left the area, hoping for the best. They had put all they could into that protection stone.  
  
She remembered watching as Sei-fuu finally fell limp and Suave slowly awakening. She had pushed Trunks towards Suave before using all the energy she could to send them into the dimensions. Then she had dropped to the ground, falling gently to her side as her eyes slowly came to a close.  
  
Suave watched the girls with an amazed expression, running through the adult images of them. He knew both the girls, but they most likely didn't know him yet. They stared at him with shocked expressions, though, their bodies trembling as the glasses had left their hands.  
  
Falean looked at the girls and traveled her gaze with the glasses as they fell to the ground. For the small moment she had before the glasses hit the ground, she looked over to Suave to find him watching the girls. Slowly, she turned her gaze back to the two, a confused look resting in her eyes.  
  
The glasses hit the ground with a loud crash, slight shards of glass sliding across the floor. The orange juice splattered on the floor, pushing the glass further along the ground as it moved. Both the girls seemed to be snapped back to reality as they blinked lightly, their gazes falling down to the glasses for a single moment.  
  
The two girls looked to each other, nodding slowly. They pushed their chairs back and stood up, turning to face Falean and Suave. Suave still stared at them with the same expression and Falean had begun to look more confused than before. They dropped their gazes for a single moment before looking back to Suave, allowing a smile to slide upon their lips.  
  
"Nice meeting you, Suave," Butterfly whispered before the girls turned away. They ran out of the bar and down the street, their feet pounding along the ground as their minds raced with thoughts on what had just happened.   
  
Skillet opened her eyes slowly, the shades had been pulled over the windows to stop the light from streaming in. Still, some light spilled into the room along the edges of the shades, giving the room a gentle glow. She felt warm in Saedyn's arms, lifting her head up enough to look to him. Her left hand rested upon his bare chest, the other hand been rested behind her head.   
  
She allowed a soft smile to cross her lips as she watched the man sleep. His breath slowly slipped passed his lips. She brought her thumb up to gently trace his lower lip, a soft laugh escaping her lips as his warm breath left a light tingle on her skin. She watched his eyelids flutter at the slight laugh, his eyes slowly opening. Slowly, he turned his gaze to her, a look of confusion entering his eyes for a moment, a smile placed upon his lips.  
  
"I see that Heaven's missing an angel," He stated simply, pulling her tighter into his embrace. She brought her head to rest upon his chest and he gently kissed her, his left hand slowly running up and down her back.  
  
"Are you going to show me the town today, Saedyn? Or do I have to get another escort for that?" She asked him. He blinked lightly before gently cupping her chin, turning her gaze up to him as his smiled grew.  
  
"You think I'm going to let someone else escort you? You already agreed to let me do that, you can't go back on your word," He stated with a nod. Skillet smiled softly, gently shaking her head.  
  
"Well, if you're going to be my escort, shouldn't you start getting ready?" She asked him, her head tilting gently to the side.  
  
Saedyn allowed a slightly confused look to enter his eyes as he sat up a little bit. Skillet slipped out of his embrace and stood up, looking down to him. He tilted his head to the side with a interested smile, "Shouldn't you?"  
  
Skillet laughed softly before simply waving her hand gently, snapping her fingers a moment later. Saedyn watched as rays of sparkling violet light spun up around her, encasing her for a single moment before fading. He allowed his gaze to travel her now clothed form. Her hair was held in slight curls and came down to her shoulders, her violet eyes shining brightly. She wore a white tank top, an unbuttoned black shirt hanging open over the tank top. With that, she wore a pair of dark blue flares, most of the flares hiding her black boots.  
  
"Right... You get to do it the easy way, don't you?" He asked before slipping out of the bed. She moved over to him, setting her hands upon his chest as his slipped his arms about her waist, pulling her close as she lightly brushed her lips to his for a moment. Slowly, she pulled out of his arms and smiled softly.  
  
"Get ready," She said simply before walking over to the door, leading her way out into the hall. Saedyn watched as she walked off before shaking his head slowly, making his way to the bathroom as he began to get ready.  
  
Skillet walked into the small library of the house. He had books and books of sorcerer and sorceresses. She smiled to herself at how determined he was to master his dream and found that she really didn't mind helping him. He was the first one in a while to make her feel happy. They had spent the whole night talking until they finally slipped into sleep, whoever did so first, she didn't know.  
  
Gently, she ran her fingers along the rims of the books, slowly walking down the rows. When she came to the end of the row, she stopped, her eyes coming to a light close. She heard him finishing up and tilted her head lightly to the side, waiting for him to walk into the room.  
  
It didn't take Saedyn long after that to get ready. He knew exactly where to find Skillet, too. He walked down the halls, not even bothering to look into the other rooms as he headed straight for the library. He sensed that she was there and pushing the door open, he found that she was.  
  
Skillet turned to face him, her eyes opening and allowing her gaze to rest upon him. He wore a loose black shirt similar to the one he had worn the other day, the top three buttons left undone. Some of the shirt was slightly tucked into the baggy pant he wore, most of the past covering his boots.  
  
He smiled gently and walked over to Skillet, slipping one arm about her waist. He allowed his gaze to drop into hers as he spoke, "Want to get going now?"  
  
"Finally," Skillet said with a teasingly smile. Saedyn pulled her slightly closer for a moment before leading her to the doorway and out of the house.  
  
Once they arrived at the town, they started with simply walking the streets. Skillet had to admit that the people seemed a lot more friendly during the day than they did at night. Saedyn pointed out the various shops to her, telling her which were the best to go to for any supplies she needed.  
  
Skillet's attention was eventually drawn off into her thoughts. She couldn't help but find that she sensed Suave's presence in the town. She shook the feeling off, though, deciding that she had lived with sensing the power far too long. Now the feeling of his power just seemed to flow along, she figured it was from the stone.  
  
"Skillet? Are you listening?" Saedyn asked. Skillet hadn't even really noticed that they had come to a stop and Saedyn had his hands resting on her shoulders. He looked into her eyes with an interested gaze as she blinked gently.  
  
"No," She answered with a shrug. Saedyn watched her for a long moment before he began to laugh.  
  
"Well, at least you're honest," He said, shrugging as well. He released her shoulders and pointed over to the bar across from them, "That's out next stop."  
  
Skillet nodded slowly, following Saedyn's lead as he walked towards the bar. Once they arrived there, he pushed open the door, waiting for her to walk in before stepping in after her. Skillet slowly walked over to one of the tables in the far back, dropping into one of the seats. Saedyn pulled his seat beside hers and sat down, watching as a waitress walked over.  
  
"Hello, my name is Falean," the woman began, drawing Skillet's attention. Skillet looked up to the woman with a slight smile, "What will you have?"  
  
"Two sweet ales, please," Skillet said, taking the liberty of ordering for both of them. Saedyn made no objection and with a nod, Falean walked off.   
  
Skillet shuddered gently at the feeling that surrounded her. Once she had walked into the bar, the sense of Suave seemed to grow stronger. She had gotten rid of him, though. She was almost convinced that it was just her mind playing tricks on her. She shrugged the feeling off once again, shaking her head slowly.  
  
"Are you all right?" Saedyn asked. He had been watching her for a while and had noticed her shudder. She looked to him, her expression seeming almost surprised. Slowly, the look faded to one of gentle happiness as she simply nodded.  
  
"I'm fine, Saedyn," Skillet said gently. She brought her eyes to a close. She needed this moment to herself, just a simple moment of silence. Saedyn seemed to understand, his eyes sliding to a close as well.  
  
"Your drinks," came Falean's voice, pulling Skillet from her thoughts. Skillet opened her eyes, looking to Falean with a slightly annoyed look resting in her eyes. Saedyn opened his eyes in time to catch the look, laughing softly.  
  
"Thanks, Falean," He said as she set the drinks upon the table. She hadn't noticed Skillet's slightly hidden glare, either that or she didn't care. With yet another nod, Falean walked off, leaving the two in their silence again.  
  
Skillet took the glass in her hand and brought the rim of it to her lips, tipping the glass enough to take a light sip of the ale. She sighed with delight as her dry throat was soaked with the cool liquid, a smile resting on her lips. She set her glass back upon the table and met Saedyn's gaze.  
  
"What can you do?" She asked him, drawing a look of confusion from Saedyn. He tilted his head a little to the side.  
  
"What do you mean?" He asked. Skillet shook her head slowly as if she expected him to already know the answer.  
  
"When it comes to powers. I know you have some, you made that obvious the other day. You can read from other eyes or from their minds?" She questioned him, turning in her seat to face him more.  
  
He smiled softly, his gaze dropping. Slowly, he traced his fingers along the rim of his glass as he thought to himself. With a nod, he returned his gaze to her, "I can read eyes and at times I can read the mind."  
  
"So you have the power to do so?" Skillet asked, casually leaning back in her seat as she brought the glass to her lips once more.  
  
"I have the power to do a lot, trust me," He began, drawing a look of interest from Skillet eyes. He nodded slowly, his smile growing, "I just need someone to help me improve them."  
  
"Shouldn't be too hard," She said with a shrug. Suddenly, she felt a wave of power enter the room and she quickly set the glass upon the table, turning to face the feeling. She shouldn't have been too surprised, she had sensed him after all. She had finished him, though... And yet, there he stood.   
  
"Suave," Skillet whispered softly to herself, staring at him. His gaze hadn't met hers yet, but she felt a slight rise in his power as a nervous feeling swept over him. He had sensed her, she knew.  
  
Slowly, he turned to face her and a silver gaze met a violet one. He stared at her, trying to hide the shock that was still present in his eyes. She allowed a smile to slip upon her lips before she stood up from the table, looking down to Saedyn who watched Suave with a confused look, "Let's go."  
  
She didn't wait for his answer and turned away, walking towards the door. She turned for a moment more to look back at Suave, his gaze remained on her. Her smile brightened a bit more and she pushed past the door, walking out of the bar.  
  
Suave stared after her in surprise, wondering why she had seemed so happy. Maybe because she knew that she could possibly have more power than him this time. He felt a gaze resting on him still and a chill began to run through him. He shuddered lightly at the cold feeling. It was an extreme power, which he didn't understand because Skillet had just left.  
  
Suave turned to face where the energy seemed to be coming from, blinking lightly. It was coming from the man that Skillet had been sitting with. Dark energy and faint light seemed to crackle around him, his eyes glowing softly. Slowly, the man stood up, the power around him fading as he stepped into the crowd. He walked towards the door, turning to look at Suave, gently shaking his head before he walked out the door. 


	15. Asadrion

Jesyd winced as he sat up, shuddering at the sudden pain that ran through him. He cursed for a moment at the man that had stabbed him. If it weren't for a few needed friends, he probably wouldn't have made it through the night. His gaze wandered around the room to see a young man sitting beside the bed. He smiled calmly, his hair pure white, yet kept in a nice mushroom cut. His eyes were bright blue and looked upon Jesyd with silent interest. Most of his clothing was kept hidden by the simply black cloak that he wore.   
  
"Hmm… How long have I been out, Asadrion?" Jesyd asked. He cleared his throat, dropping back upon the pillow with a soft sigh.   
  
"I'd say a good day or two," Asadrion said with a smile. He slowly moved the clothing on Jesyd to reveal the wound. Jesyd allowed his gaze to wander down, finding little left but a healing wound. Asadrion looked back to Jesyd and nodded, "My magic worked well on you."   
  
  
"It would appear that way, wouldn't it?" Jesyd said with a soft laugh. Suddenly, he looked back on how he got his wound, his gaze darkening slightly, "I met a girl earlier… I believe she's a sorceress."   
  
  
"Really?" Asadrion asked, interest resting softly in his voice. Jesyd closed his eyes, allowing a soft laugh to escape his lips.   
  
"Yea, really," Jesyd said, a smile growing upon his lips, "I could feel a really strong power coming from her. That man seemed to get her easily enough… With your charm, we could get her power. Who knows what she could do?"   
  
  
"How strong do you think this girl is?" Asadrion asked, leaning forward in his seat.   
  
"Stronger than you, most likely," Jesyd said with another soft laugh before continuing, "It came from her so easily… Either she likes to show off, or there's just too much power to contain. If we could turn her to our side, I believe we could rule this world… She seems like she'd easily turn to the evil side."   
  
  
"Hmm… This is a nice discovery, indeed," Asadrion said, standing from his seat, "A girl with that much power… Is she cute?"   
  
  
"Lovely," Jesyd answered with a smile, moving out of the bed to follow Asadrion towards the door.   
  
"Perfect… We'll find the girl and we'll bring her back with us. There won't be anything in our way, right?" Asadrion asked, looking to Jesyd for a moment.   
  
"A boy… He's the one who injured me," Jesyd said with a light shrug, "If we can get the girl's interest, he shouldn't be a problem. She may like him… But I doubt she'd let herself be controlled so easily."   
  
  
"Hmm… Good," Asadrion said, leading them outside. Jesyd paused to grab his sword, twirling it for a moment before continuing. Asadrion smiled softly, the interest still resting in his eyes, "This should be fun…"   
  
  
Skillet lightly kicked the dirt covered ground as she walked, her gaze held upon her feet. A soft sigh drifted past her lips as she felt Saedyn's presence grow closer to her. She slipped a gentle smile upon her lips, lifting her gaze to look to him. He returned her gaze with a smile to match his own, a curious look resting in his lovely eyes.   
  
"Skillet," He began, reaching out to gently take her hand in his own, his fingers gently caressing her skin. She turned her gaze down to their hands as he continued, "Who was that man?"   
  
  
Skillet winced inwardly at the question. She had expected him to ask it, but she still couldn't help hoping he wouldn't. Suave was her past and she was happy where she was, away from all the others. She had all the power she would ever need and she had a man sweeter than anything. She should have expected to see Suave once again, see his eyes held upon her. Skillet shuddered gently, trying to push any thought of the man away.   
  
"What man?" She asked. Even if she felt worried, her voice didn't waver at all, making her quite pleased with herself. Saedyn saw right through it, though, she knew.   
  
"Back at the bar," He said, confusion entering his eyes now. He had no idea why she wouldn't tell him who it was and even though he tried to fight it, jealousy was felt in his heart.   
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Skillet said, releasing his hand as a soft laugh escaped her lips.   
  
Saedyn held his hands in fists tightly at his sides, coming to a stop. Skillet walked a few more steps before coming to a stop as well, looking back to him with a look of forced confusion as her statement. He shook his head slowly, a light sigh parting his lips, "Yea, you do."   
  
  
"No, I don't," She said with a shrug, turning away before continuing her walk. Saedyn shook his head once more before walking after her.   
  
When Skillet didn't come to a stop again, Saedyn jumped in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. Skillet blinked gently, looking at him with even more confusion. Tilting her head to the side, her gaze met his, "What?"   
  
  
"Who was he?" Saedyn asked, squeezing her shoulders gently. She sighed softly, moving away from his hands before looking back to him.   
  
"His name is Suave," She said before pushing past him. Saedyn blinked a few times before walking after her.   
  
"Suave?" He asked, his gaze moving to meet hers. A soft smile traced Skillet's lips as she nodded.   
  
"Suave, the ultimate Kai," She said gently, her gaze dropping back to the ground. She sighed before continuing, "And my trainer."   
  
  
"Your trainer?" Saedyn asked with a laughed, "You seemed like you hated him back at the bar. He can't be your trainer..."   
  
  
"And yet he still is," She said with a laugh. He took her hand with his once more, lacing their fingers together, "Suave trained me, but we also fought a lot. I stole something from him… Something very important. I guess you could say we don't care for each other much."   
  
  
"What did you take?" Saedyn asked. Skillet returned her gaze to him, using her other hand to lightly tap the stone on the necklace she wore. She had already explained small details about it to him, so he simply nodded in understanding.   
  
"Well, well," A voice whispered from behind them. They both stopped in their steps, but didn't bother to turn around. The voice was familiar to the both of them and they allowed a smile to trace upon their lips, "Look what we have here."   
  
  
"Jesyd," Saedyn said with a laugh. Slowly, he turned around to face the man, Skillet turning as well, "I thought you were dead."   
  
"Actually, I'm quite alive, Saedyn," He said, a smiling settling itself upon his lips as he glanced over to the girl.  
  
"Such a pity," Saedyn said, watching as Jesyd's smile faded for a mere moment. Skillet kept her gaze upon the man, brushing a few strands of her golden hair behind her left ear.  
  
"Well," Jesyd said, allowing the smile to return to his lips as he slowly walked over to Skillet. She returned his smile, her head tilting to the side, "What do we have here?"  
  
"The same girl you attacked earlier... You should know that," Saedyn said, taking Skillet gently by the shoulders before moving back a few steps.  
  
"And what a lovely girl indeed," Saedyn's gaze flew to meet the new voice, his gaze settling upon Asadrion.  
  
His eyes twinkled softly in the light as his gaze was caught upon Skillet, his cloak swaying gently as he walked over to her. She locked her gaze with his, her smile growing just slightly, "And you are?"  
  
"Yea, I'd like to know that," Saedyn said, trying to push back the anger that he suddenly felt running through his veins.  
  
"How rude of me," Asadrion said, opening his cloak enough to reveal slightly loose black pants and a white shirt, the top two buttons left undone. His body was sculpted to fit a perfect image, his smile so sweet. He nodded slowly before continuing, "I'm Asadrion."  
  
"Hello," She whispered gently. Skillet's smile softened as she dropped her gaze to the ground, watching as Asadrion knelt down on one knee.  
  
"I must say, it's a pleasure to meet you," He said, taking her right hand in his left before softly brushing his lips to the back of her hand.  
  
"What do you want?" Saedyn questioned, stepping between the two. Skillet set her hands upon his shoulders and Asadrion stood up to face Saedyn.  
  
"To destroy you and get the girl," He stated simply, shrugging a bit before glancing over to Jesyd, nodding slowly.  
  
"This will be fun," Jesyd said as he started to walk towards Saedyn. Skillet stepped off to the side, watching the two in silent interest.  
  
Saedyn reached for the hilt of his sword, grasping it firmly before drawing it out of his sheath. He took a moment to twirl it, getting a feel for the sword, a smile forming upon his lips. His gaze moved towards Jesyd and he nodded slowly, "So, you want to be wounded again?"  
  
"No," Jesyd said, his smile fading for a moment, "But it looks like you want to get hurt."  
  
"What could you possibly do to me, Jesyd?" Saedyn said with a laugh, taking position with his weapon.  
  
Jesyd allowed his smile to once again cross his lips as he nodded slowly, kneeling down just a little as he reached out to the air. Asadrion waved his hand gently and a shimmer formed in the air in front of Jesyd's hand. He grasped his hand around the glitter, the feeling of a handle forming in his hand. Suddenly, the sparkles gleamed brightly before scattering about, revealing the well-polished blade of his sword, the handle black with glass spikes coming out from it, some of the glitter captured in the glass.  
  
Saedyn's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the sword, watching as Jesyd slowly brought it to his side. He shook his head slowly, pushing back the fear that he felt, readying himself for any attack that might come.  
  
Jesyd was the first to attack. He drew his sword back and ran towards Saedyn, pulling his sword out to the side before swiping the blade at Saedyn. Saedyn twirled away from the attack, the blade lightly slicing his clothing. Once he turned to face Jesyd once more, he jumped at him, pulling the blade down towards his left shoulder.  
  
Jesyd laughed softly, pulling easily to the side, watching as the blade slashed harmlessly past him. Anger rose in Saedyn and he quickly pulled the blade to the right before slicing it at Jesyd once more. Jesyd jumped black, the front of his shirt ripping by the blade.  
  
"You shouldn't have done that," Jesyd said, his gaze slowly moving back to Saedyn who simply smiled in return.  
  
Jesyd let out a loud scream before jabbing the sword at Saedyn's chest. Saedyn spun to the side, his sword slicing the air in yet another attack at Jesyd. This time Jesyd wasn't fast enough, his arm getting a slight cut from the tip of the blade.  
  
Saedyn smiled in a silent triumph that didn't seem to last long. Jesyd spun around at him, but this time he wasn't trying to slice Saedyn in half. Without knowing where to dodge, Saedyn was hit in the head by the hilt of the sword, dropping back onto the ground with a wince.  
  
Jesyd pulled his blade up into the air, looking down at Saedyn with a smile. Saedyn returned his gaze before allowing his to wander over to the tip of the blade, watching as it gleamed at him. He brought his eyes to a tight close and brought in a slow breath of air, trying to time everything in his mind, waiting for the blade to drop. He heard the metal slice through the wind and braced himself.  
  
"No," Skillet said as she took a single step forward, her right hand held out with her palm facing Jesyd. That was all that was needed to stop him.  
  
Jesyd blinked as he felt his body stop in place, the sword seeming to vibrate in his hand. His gaze wandered over to Skillet and he watched as a gentle smile lit her lips, closing her hand. His gaze flew back to his sword in time to watch it shatter into many pieces, the metal falling to the ground.  
  
"Now, you can continue," She finished, bringing her hand back down to her side. Jesyd felt his body go limp for a moment and he stumbled on the ground before standing up once more.  
  
"That wasn't a good idea," Jesyd said, walking away from Saedyn and towards Skillet.  
  
She didn't seem the least bit scared of him, though. She just stood there with that soft smile on her lips, a look of interest resting in her eyes. Once he reached her, he grasped her shoulders. She let a soft laugh escape her lips before she shook her head a little. Jesyd allowed his gaze to wander over to Asadrion and they both nodded in agreement.  
  
"You're coming with us," Jesyd said, a smile lighting his lips. He heard Saedyn jump to his feet, quickly walking towards them.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Skillet asked, tilting her head a little to the side as she allowed her gaze to move to Saedyn.  
  
"Like he said," Asadrion started, stepping behind Skillet, "You're coming with us."  
  
"No," Saedyn said as he started to walk towards them, "She won't be going with you two."  
  
Asadrion laughed softly, waving his hand in the air. Skillet blinked lightly, pushing past Jesyd to reach out for Saedyn and they grasped hands for a moment, "I will get rid of them and I'll come back to you, I promise."  
  
Saedyn nodded slowly and watched as they faded into the vortex that Asadrion opened up behind them. Skillet watching him with a soft smile, her hand still reached out for his. He returned her smile and nodded once again, "I love you." 


	16. The Stone Around Her Neck

Skillet watched the image of her beloved Saedyn slowly fade as the magic Asadrion had created closed around them. She shut her eyes against this magical prison, wanting to break out of it and just escape back into the new world she had found. She could feel Jesyd's presence behind her and Asadrion at her side, his gaze held on her. She didn't have to look to know they were both watching. She retreated to her thoughts in a small attempt to escape, only to realize she had lost her mind once again.   
  
She hadn't realized what was going inside her mind until now. Until she felt the extreme pain as the other side of her tried to fight her way back out. She had control of herself again and somehow, she never even noticed. The other side of her had realized before she did, of course. The other side had known since they traveled back in time. It was the vortex that had screwed them up again, after all.   
  
Something with the vortex must have pulled her back into control of her body, pushing the evil back down. That side had realized once she had tried to reach out to destroy Saedyn, only to realize that she couldn't do it. She had kept quite, though. At least until now, when they were in a vortex again. Now that side was fighting with all it had to get back in control.  
  
Skillet allowed a soft smile to trace her lips, her eyes opening to the brilliant colors that swirled around them as they continued to travel through the vortex, her hair gently waving around her. Asadrion was looking forward now, and Jesyd had dropped his gaze to the ground. She could almost feel their intense thoughts, a chill running through her form.   
  
Suddenly, her gaze snapped over to Asadrion, the chill growing stronger. He knew. She didn't know how, but she could sense that he knew there was a darker side to her. He must have seen it when he looked at her, seen two people staring back at him through her eyes. It was possible, she knew.   
  
She could feel the darker side moving through her thoughts, the struggle slowly fading away. Both of them knew now, but the other side didn't seem to mind. He would be helping her escape, after all. All she would have to do was help him rule over this world, something she had planned to do anyway.   
  
He gaze moved down to the stone, tilting her head a little to the side. He was probably planning to take it as well, if he even knew that it could help his power. She couldn't part with this stone now, thanks to her darker side. She wasn't given a choice, even though she had control now.   
  
"We'll be there shortly," Asadrion said, his gaze moving over to Skillet. She looked up from the stone and turned her gaze to his eyes, nodding slowly.   
  
"Where are we going?" She asked, tilting her head a bit more to the side. She watched a smile settle upon his lips.  
  
"You'll see," He said, his gaze moving forward once again after saying that, his smile remaining on his lips.   
  
Skillet turned her gaze forward to notice the small light that appeared at the end of the swirl of colors. She brought her eyes to a soft close, waiting for the vortex of colors to fade and their new destination to appear. She was surprised to find that it only took a moment of wishing before they arrived.   
  
"Like it?" Jesyd asked. Skillet opened her eyes, her gaze slowly moving around the room. There was a bed covered in silk sheets, three deep blue chairs surrounding a lit fireplace that filled the blue painted room with a soft glow. As much as she looked around, she was unable to find a door.   
  
"It's fine…" Skillet said softly. She turned her gaze over to Asadrion, catching his interested expression. Recovering, she allowed a soft smile to trace her lips as she walked closer to him.   
  
"So… What is it that we have to talk about?" She asked, brushing up against him. He tilted his head a bit to the side, his smile softening.   
  
"I've never met anyone quite like you," He began, making his way over to one of the three chairs, dropping down upon it before turning his gaze back to her, "Where did you get such a power?"   
  
Skillet's gaze dropped down to the stone for a single moment, almost against her own will. She quickly turned his gaze back to him, making her way to one of the chairs before taking a seat, leaning back in the chair.   
  
"What power?" She asked, allowing the innocence to rest in her words. His gaze dropped to the stone and remained there.  
  
"I see…" He whispered softly. She watched him for a moment more, slowly turning enough to face the fireplace.   
  
"You see what, Asadrion?" Jesyd asked, stepping up behind Skillet before placing his hands gently upon her shoulders.   
  
"That stone around her neck," Asadrion answered, his gaze never leaving the stone. His tone turned lower as he began to talk to Skillet once more, "That's what makes your power so strong, isn't it?"   
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," She said, her voice remaining steady as she settled in the chair. Jesyd's grip began to tighten on her arms and she brought her eyes to a soft close for a moment before looking back to Asadrion.  
  
"Then you won't mind parting with it," He said as he stood up, walking the short distance to her before reaching for the stone.   
  
"No," She placed her hand over the stone, jumping up from her seat and moving away, despite Jesyd's grip.   
  
"Why not give it to me? If it doesn't hold your power, it shouldn't matter," He asked, his smile beginning to grow as he slowly backed her into a wall, "Let us talk to the other Skillet, hmm?"   
  
"Other Skillet?" Her voice was shaking now, as was her form. She felt her back touch up against the wall, her hand still held over the stone.   
  
"Don't play games with me, girl. You know who I'm talking about," He said, reaching out for her hand. She shut her eyes quickly, feeling a wind pick up around her as her mind opened a vortex behind her. She slipped into it quickly, the magic closing around her. She heard Asadrion's scream echo through the vortex as she was sent back, still shaking.   
  
Her mind seemed to spin quickly as she went through the vortex. The colors around her swirled more than they had before and she felt herself growing tired. The pain in her head fought harder now, trying to regain control and she had to use most of her strength in an effort to fight it. Finally, she gave up her efforts, collapsing to the floor of this magical prison, her eyes sliding to a soft close. She didn't even get to see the soft light that glowed through the colors.   
  
"Well, we meet again," a soft voice spoke from behind her. She was surrounded in darkness now and she turned around, searching for the owner of the voice. Two bright violet eyes stared back into hers and she took a step back.   
  
"You…" She began; the eyes seemed to dance with a soft laughter as the person nodded slowly.   
  
"Yea… Me. Or should I say you? We are close to being the same, more than twins even," A soft light shone between them and Skillet could now look up to the evil of her darker side.   
  
"What do you want?" Skillet whispered, moving to take another step away. The other took a step towards her, a smile tracing her lips.   
  
"Isn't it obvious, Skillet? I want control again," She said, reaching out for the stone. Skillet placed her hand over the stone, shaking her head slowly.   
  
"You've had your fun, Skillet," She said to her darker side. The girl smiled softly and shook her head slowly.   
  
"Call me Asadria," She said and allowed her smile to grow as a shocked look settled upon Skillet's expression.   
  
"Asadria?" She questioned softly, searching for the similar name that she knew. She turned her gaze back to Asadria, her head tilting a little to the side, "Asadrion?"   
  
"My brother in another time," She explained, shrugging gently. She tilted her head to the side as well, "Another world, actually."   
  
"What do you mean from another world?" Skillet asked, taking a step forward. Asadria nodded slowly.   
  
"Another world and another time," She said simply, not really bothering to answer the question. A slightly annoyed look slipped across Asadria's expression, "Let's just switch places already, all right? That way you can get back to being in place and I can rule the future with Asadrion."   
  
"I won't let you," Skillet said, taking a step back. Asadria turned her gaze to meet her eyes, slowly walking towards her.   
  
"You don't have a choice, Skillet," Asadria said, jumping forward to place her left hand on her cheek, her right hand moving to grasp the stone, "Skillet."   
  
"Skillet," Saedyn whispered softly, shaking Skillet's unconscious form as she struggled to wake up. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, her gaze moving over to him.   
  
"Saedyn?" She asked, her voice shaking softly as she sat up, moving into his arms, "What happened?"   
  
"I was sitting here staring at the sky and the portal you left through opened up again," He explained, his left hand moving his fingers to run gently through her hair. Skillet brought her eyes to a soft close, "You were thrown out of the portal."   
  
"You have to help me, Saedyn," Skillet said, opening her eyes. She tilted her head a little to the side.   
  
"Anything… What do you need help with?" He asked with his hand moving away from her hair as her wrapped both his arms about her waist, pulling her closer to him.   
  
"Asadrion…" She brought her head to rest upon his chest, her eyes coming to a soft close once again, "He's after me and the stone I have. He wants to take it and turn me to his side so that he can have ultimate rule. You have to help me hide away from him… I don't know what he might do."   
  
"I'll help you stay safe, don't worry," Saedyn brought her closer to him, his head resting against hers as his eyes came to a soft close as well. 


	17. Asadrion's Darling Sister

Skillet had long since fallen asleep; her form laid across a comfortable bed, a silk blanket strewn across her figure. Saedyn sat on the bed, his gaze holding intent on the floor boards of the room, his head leaning towards his left hand, his arm being propped up onto his knee. It had been a hard day. Skillet had fallen asleep the moment he had closed his eyes. He didn't know what it was about this girl, but there was something making him stay with this mess. He didn't mind a little adventure, but people didn't pop in and out of portals everyday. His lips parted for a moment, a soft sigh tumbling slowly over them, his gaze turning to the woman resting on his bed. She seemed peaceful as she slept, though she would have so much to face the moment she opened her eyes and he knew that he'd have to be there.  
  
He didn't bother to stop the smile that traced slowly across his lips, moving himself fully onto the bed. He had to admit that his life seemed dull and empty until he went chasing after this young lady. He laid back upon the bed, his head coming to rest upon the pillow before he returned his gaze to her. He thought for a moment of taking a bit of the sheets to cover himself, but decided against it. Not wanting to wake her from her slumber. Tomorrow they would figure out what they had to do and possibly visit that trainer of hers. They needed all the ideas they could get it seemed. He allowed his eyes to slide to a close, his smile softening. He was glad that she was having at least one more peaceful nap.  
  
Though, he couldn't be further from the truth.  
  
****  
  
"Skillet, dear," Asadria said, pacing the length of the room as slowly as possible. Her gaze would flit over to the younger girl for a moment before returning contently to the carpet she walked across. A smile came to sparkle across her lips, pearly teeth shining in the dim light.  
  
"Get out of my head, Asadria," Skillet said, her voice growing dark. She was seated in a dark blue armchair, her gaze burning into the older version of herself. At least that's what she thought it was.  
  
"Well," the girl said gently, a soft laughter twisted with the word. She stepped closer to the fireplace, her black hair gleaming with the newfound light. She turned her vibrant violet eyes to Skillet, her head tilting a little to the side, "That's not very nice, is it?"  
  
"I don't care," Skillet said, standing from the chair before making her way over to the girl. She was the one in control now, so she didn't have to put up with this woman anymore, "I can get rid of you. I can make you disappear."  
  
"Keep hoping," Asadria said with another gentle laugh. She turned away from the fireplace with a gentle wave of her hand, light spilling from unknown places in the room to light the area. She turned back to Skillet, her smile softening as she folded both her hands in front of her, her fingers lacing comfortably together, "I'm here for as long as I want to be."  
  
"Enjoy solitude then," Skillet said, turning her attentions to the door. Asadria placed her hand upon Skillet's shoulder, her smile growing a bit more. Slowly, Skillet turned to face her, a challenge resting in the depths of her eyes. Of course, she knew she was no match for this girl. Despite the fact that she wasn't in control, they shared the same mind that the power of the stone traveled through. They were almost equally matched, though Skillet was sure Asadria had the upper hand.  
  
"You know that you can't get rid of me, dear," She said, passing her hand gently along Skillet's hair before she made her way to the chair that Skillet had seated herself in earlier. She turned her attentions back to Skillet, her smile growing a bit more. She took a seat in the chair, leaning back comfortably once she had placed her left leg over her right.  
  
"I'll find a way," Skillet said, the confidence in her voice wavering. She shook her head slowly before turning her gaze back to the fireplace, watching the flames dance slowly. She brought her eyes to a soft close, a gentle sigh rolling slowly over her lips before she turned back to Asadria, opening her eyes to turn her gaze back to the woman, "How are we both in my mind?"  
  
"Well, I'm sure you've noticed that I haven't been in your mind forever," Asadria began, her fingers drumming along the armrest of the chair. She moved her attentions to her hand, her smile growing genuine. She shook her head gently before turning her gaze back to Skillet, "My brother and I were from this time, though years back. I was after the stone even then, though Meirock had it at the time. I decided he was no match for me and attacked him for it. Though a man named Suave intervened and I was destroyed. I never passed on. I just followed the stone because I knew someday I could get it. Well, Suave did and so, I went along with him. His mind was not one I wanted to inhabit, but then I found you. You were a young child already with the power of a Sorceress, delightful indeed. You had potential with all the power and I decided to put it to use and so I did."  
  
"Then you met Suave," Skillet said softly, her gaze dropping back to the fireplace before she brought her eyes to a soft close. She knew that he was still alive, but she didn't know how long Suave would last.  
  
"I did," she said, her smile growing dark. She dismissed the thought with a shake of her head before turning her attentions back to Skillet, "A way of revenge and getting power as well. Though, I see that revenge didn't work all too well on our dear Suave. No matter. I will dispose of him soon enough."  
  
"You'll do no such thing," Skillet said, turning her gaze back to Asadria once she had opened her eyes again. She shook her head slowly, "You won't hurt Suave. Saedyn. And you certainly won't get this stone."  
  
"That's what you think, child," Asadria said with a gentle laugh. She stood from the chair before she began walking toward Skillet, her hand folding in front of her once again. She tilted her head a bit more to the side, "My brother's already on the attack. You better watch out, my naïve little friend."  
  
****  
  
Skillet's form sat up straight in the bed, her breath coming out in raspy gasps. The force of her awakening also woke Saedyn up, causing him to sit up, looking to Skillet groggily. Her eyes were wide, slowly adjusting to the darkness that the night had set upon the room. She brought her right hand to her forehead, brushing away the sweat before tracing her hand down to her cheek. Slowly, she allowed her breath to slow, her eyes sliding to a soft close, her body falling limp against the bed sheets.  
  
"Skillet?" she heard her voice spoken softly into the night. Just the sound of Saedyn's voice seemed to calm her nerves for a moment. She turned her gaze to meet his eyes, sparkling in the dim moonlight that splashed upon the sheets of the bed. Skillet allowed a soft smile to trace her lips, bringing her eyes to a soft close.  
  
"I'm fine, Saedyn," she began, shaking her head gently before she opened her eyes to turn her gaze back to him, "Get some rest."  
  
Saedyn didn't bother to answer, simply reaching out to take a hold of her right hand for a moment, squeezing it lovingly before releasing it. He turned over once more, his eyes coming to a soft close as he drifted into a peaceful slumber. Once she was sure that he was asleep, she slipped quietly out of the bed before hurrying to the dressers to dress. As she was clothing herself, a million thoughts ran through her mind. Saedyn was going to be hurt by that bitch and her brother if she brought him along with her. Saedyn getting hurt was something she certainly didn't want and she didn't know how well he could protect himself. She didn't want to take the chance to find out.  
  
She had clothed herself in a simple pair of black pants and a red shirt, all of which would have to do. She wasn't going anywhere special after all. Just to see Suave and find out his views on all of this. She could risk talking to him and dragging him into all of this. He was once an owner of the stone, after all. She would just have to make sure that he didn't attack her before he realized who she really was. How to do such a thing, though? He didn't know that there were two people in her mind and she highly doubted that he would even begin to think such a thing were possible.  
  
She would find a way, she knew. She quietly made her way back to the bed, staying to Saedyn's side. She kneeled down, allowing her hand to brush softly over his hair, brushing it out of his eyes before she leaned forward to place a soft kiss upon his head. She pulled back enough to move her gaze back to him, her smile growing a bit, "You stay safe. I love you."  
  
After saying this, she stood and made her way to the door. She paused before leaving, looking to the dagger that lay upon the dresser's surface. She nodded gently, picking up the small weapon before walking out the door, bringing it to a gentle close behind her. She would have already been out of the house and making her way to the town before she heard the soft whisper that broke the silence in the bedroom, "I love you, too."  
  
The silence remained broken as the bed springs squeaked softly, the form in the bed sitting up. Quickly, he felt around the covers beside him to find that no one else was there. His eyes adjusting to the light, he moved his gaze over the room to find both the dagger missing and the door closed. With a soft curse, he jumped out of the bed, "Skillet."  
  
****  
  
Asadrion paced the room slowly, much like his sister had done in Skillet's mind. Curses fell from his lips as he tried his best to think up a new plan. He needed a new way of getting that stone off of the girl's neck. She was very strong, no doubt, and he would have to deal with that in some of the only ways he knew how. He would have to send his mercenaries after the poor girl. It would be worth the trouble to get that stone and all its power, though.  
  
"Sir," Jesyd finally spoke, looking up from his hands which were folded neatly in his lap. He had been quiet ever since Skillet had disappeared through that portal, seating himself in a blue armchair. He knew better than to mess with Asadrion when he was mad, but he knew that if he didn't now, he never would, "What do you suggest?"  
  
"What do I suggest?" Asadrion said, a soft laugh spilling from his lips. Jesyd felt his nerves ease for a moment at the laugh, his head tilting a bit more to the side. Asadrion turned to face him, coming to a stop in his constant pacing. A slow smile began to creep upon his lips, "Well, we will get that stone, but we need help."  
  
"Why don't we kill Skillet and get the stone?" Jesyd said, sliding both his arms onto the armrests before pushing himself off of the seat. He brought his hands to fold in front of him once more, making his way over to Asadrion. Asadrion looked at him with a dull expression, shaking his head slowly before turning his gaze to the fireplace in the room, watching the flames.  
  
"That would be too easy," Asadrion said, rolling his shoulders casually before turning his gaze back to Jesyd. Jesyd opened his mouth to object, but Asadrion raised his right hand to silence him, turning his gaze back to the fire. His smile grew at the new thought that began to race through his mind, "Besides. My darling sister is in that head of hers."  
  
"Your sister, sir?" Jesyd asked, confusion beginning to shine in the depths of his eyes. Asadrion laughed softly once more, knowing well that Jesyd had no idea he had a sister. He would have his sister back soon enough, though. He did need someone to rule with him once he won over the stone and she was the perfect match for such a thing. He returned his attentions back to Jesyd.  
  
"My sister's spirit lives in that girl's mind," Asadrion began, nodding slowly. He brought his gaze back to the fireplace before bringing his eyes to a soft close, a gentle sigh tumbling slowly over his lips, "Destroying Skillet would destroy her. Something that I won't do. Once we find a way to deal with my sister then you can have all the fun you want, got it?"  
  
"What do we do until then?" Jesyd asked, walking over to the corner of the room. He had allowed his sword to rest there while the discussion between Asadrion and Skillet had taken place. He wrapped his fingers elegantly around the hilt before turning his gaze back to Asadrion. His eyes were still closed, but a smile began to trace his lips slowly, a soft laughter filling the room.  
  
"Skillet is alone on the streets now," Asadrion said, opening his eyes to turn his gaze to Jesyd. Jesyd's smile grew slowly, now glad that he had gone to retrieve his sword. He nodded slowly before walking to the portal that had begun to open. He paused, turning his gaze back to Asadrion, "She's going to visit someone. Let's see if we can get that stone."  
  
****  
  
Skillet was in the town now, the streets bright with the lights that lined the street. It was quiet on the streets for once. She was probably in the more secluded part of the town. Either way, she was getting close to Suave's house, or at least the place he was staying at for now. She felt a certain kind of peace settle over her as she walked, finally feeling at ease for now. She would have her friends to help her in all this and Suave's probably knew enough about the stone to get it off her without harming her. Her mind was traveling so much, her body so calm. So calm that she had no time to react when the two men stepped in front of her.  
  
"Skillet," Jesyd said, showing a toothy grin as he made his way closer to her, sword drawn out to the side, the sheath still decorating it. Her gaze moved to the sword for a moment and she perked a slender brow, lowering it once she turned her gaze back to him. Asadrion stood behind him, following closely behind him. She didn't know what either of them wanted and she was certain that she didn't want to find out. With that thought, she turned away, prepared to make a dash back to a more populated area.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" She heard Asadrion ask as Jesyd placed his free hand upon her shoulder. She had forgotten about her dagger until now, reaching for it only to find it gone. The blade resting in Jesyd's hand. She allowed a soft sigh to roll gently over her lips, her gaze slowly turning to Asadrion. He allowed his smile to grow, walking closer to her, "It's not like we're going to hurt you."  
  
"Much," Jesyd added with a sharp laugh that caused Skillet to bring her eyes to a tight close. She opened her eyes once again, turning her gaze to Asadrion to find him reaching for the stone. She flinched away quickly enough to get out of the way from his hand. He paused, his smile growing a bit more.  
  
"Let go of me," Skillet said, her vibrant violet eyes turning to Asadrion once again. She struggled the best she could to get out of Jesyd's grasp, but he seemed to have a good hold on her. With another soft sigh, she turned her attentions back to Asadrion, "And take your damn sister while you're at it."  
  
"How about I take that stone of yours instead?" Asadrion asked, reaching out to grab for the stone once more. She flinched away and his hand landed upon her chest, just below the stone. Jesyd tightened her grip on her and Asadrion began scrambling to get the stone from her. She shut her eyes, a piercing scream rippling through the air. She didn't even notice the burst of energy it gave off, or the white light that filled the air around them. All she noticed was Jesyd and Asadrion's screams, her body being free once more. She felt herself pulled in the same place for a moment more. But not by Jesyd or Asadrion. With a quick struggle, she managed to break free, dashing off to Suave's home.  
  
***  
  
"Suave! Suave let me in," Skillet screamed as she pounded on the door. She heard voices talking softly within before the squeak of a few bed springs were heard, followed by gentle footsteps. She took a step back, the door swinging open. Suave looked groggily to the girl that stood on the doorsteps, taking a moment to realize who it was. His eyes opened wide before he took a step back.  
  
"Skillet," Suave said softly before shaking his head slowly, his gaze moving to the stone that was held around her neck. She looked to him, his gaze slowly turning back to meet hers. He shook his head slowly before taking a step forward, reaching out to hold the stone gently in his hand. Skillet didn't flinch or pull away, one thing he'd have to question, "Back to kill me?"  
  
"Suave, that wasn't me," Skillet started, shaking her head slowly. He released the stone, turning his attentions back to her. He didn't look like he was going to believe her, but that was something Skillet had expected. All she could do was try to explain and hope that he would believe her, "There's someone else in my mind. I didn't mean or try to kill you, Suave. It wasn't me that did that."  
  
Suave didn't look like he believed her yet and Skillet slowly lowered her gaze to the ground. She didn't notice the shocked expression that slowly entered Suave's eyes as his gaze fell upon the person that had walked up behind her. An exact replica of Skillet all except for the black hair that shone softly with the help of the lights in the streets; the rim of her violet eyes glowing softly in the night. He had seen her before. Both when he struggled to get the stone from Meirock and when he struggled to keep the stone. A soft smile slowly traced Asadria's lips, "It was me." 


	18. The Image

"Asadria," Skillet spoke softly as she stared at the woman in front of her with terrfied eyes. Suave stood behind her, glaring at the black haired replica that smiled cruelly with perfect red lips. Normally, he would be confused with seeing a woman just like Skillet except for the noticable difference in color between the two. He had seen this woman before, when he was much younger and before he had found Skillet upon the ground in that brunt village. Asadria, as the dark sorceress chose to be called, was murdered as she went after the stone, something of which he took part in. He had always felt a second presence in Skillet and now she stoof before them, the one who had stole his stone.  
  
"My dear, you remembered my name? How sweet," her voice was sharp and smooth at the same time, holding within it the hatred Asadria had built up over so many years. Though it seemed covered by a sweet melody, her sugar- coated tone did nothing to hide her true intentions. She stepped up carefully to Skillet, dark eyes staring into frightened ones as Asadria reached out to touch the young one. Skillet tried to move from the touch, but Asadria grabbed a few strands of her hair in a more brusque manner. Suave held himself back from almost instinctively jumping out to protect the girl, something he had always done since she was a child. Asadria noticed this, though, and raised her gaze to him to show the color in her eyes swirling before deciding on the soft violet hue Skillet's posessed. She perked a slender brow and allowed her voice to grace them once again, "Struggling?"  
  
"You get away from her, Asadria," he said quickly, swiping his right hand out to his side. A soft power began to trickle from his fingertips in a small defense incase she had decided to attack. He shook his hand carefully, trying his best to stop the power at the ends of his fingers as he let his anger subside. She watched him with wondering eyes as he walked closer to the two of them, pausing when he was only a few steps away, "Your quarrel is with me."  
  
"With you? Don't give yourself so much credit, Suave," she said this after allowing a sharp laugh to pierce the sky. She knew that it would be growing clear to them now of why she had come, but she would still await the question. She released Skillet's head with a force that almost threw her back before she moved closer to Suave. He didn't attempt to move from her, for he doubted he had much to fear if she wasn't even after him. She placed her hands upon the sides of his face, smooth skin touching a few whiskers, grown from missing a few days of shaving. If there was one thing Asadrion had taught her, it was to play with her prey and she used it often, even if there was little prey to tease. He continued to stare at Asadria with a harsh gaze, even as she rubbed the tip of her thumb over his bottom lip and her body pressed up against his. He flattered for a moment and she responded with another rub and a gentle laugh, "You betray yourself."  
  
"You think I do?" Suave asked with a strong anger rising in his voice, bringing his hands up quickly to grab her wrists. She continued to watch him, playing against his rough skin with her smooth hands; she didn't even blink at his action, but rather smiled more so, a soft laugh passing her lips. He allowed his grasp to grow on her wrists for another moment before releasing them with a soft growl. He knew there was very little he could do and sadly, Asadria knew the same. It was no surprise that she knew this already, for one of the reasons she remained for feared was for her clever mind. She was probably one of the smartest seductresses Suave had ever come across. He allowed no window to his thoughts for her and no ray of his fear to shine through for she would feed off such knowledge, "You leave her alone, Asadria."  
  
"No, Suave, I don't think I will. Do you know that I can hurt you without laying a hand on you?" she asked this with a deep warning in her voice, clearly stating that he should back off soon. He knew Skillet already had a threat against her by Asadria and he would have to protect her. She had remained quiet all this while and he soon grew worried that perhaps she had run off, but when he turned his gaze tiwards herm he found her staring back at him, her lips slightly parted as worried breaths passed quickly through them. He turned his attention back to Asadria to find her smile softening, "Not just Skillet. I can also have your dear Falean murdered again."  
  
"You stay the hell away from Falean or I swear you will never see the light of day, Asadria," Suave screamed, a sudden violence flaring up in the depths of his eyes with a passion Asadria knew would be there. He grasped her wrists with no regard for what pain it may cause her and flung her against the wall with a strength that granted no mercy. She laughed at his reaction and his turmoil as she found his hard exterior shattered to leave nothing but his worried eyes. When he discovered his attack hadn't frightened her in the least, he moved his hands tighter. She would have normally winced if she wasn't completely thrilled in the reaction Suave was giving. He ignored her persistent attitude and pressed her harder against the wall, "You leave her be!"  
  
"Don't worry, Suave. I won't touch her, but I'm sure my brother wouldn't mind doing that for me," she said, leaning forward to whipser softly against his skin. He felt a soft shudder trace down along his spine, but it wasn't so much with pleasure, but more a burning anger as he thought of what may happen to Falean. She knew much more about what would happen to him, though, for she knew what would get to him the most for the such was clear already. She couldn't help the smile that continued to grace her ruby lips as she basked in the furious anger that spread through Suave.  
  
Skillet remained silet still, but it was the most that she could do at the moment. She seemed to be frozen in completely shock with her legs trembking as she struggled to stand much longer. Her lips seemed to tremble almost unnoticably, her lips parted still as gently breaths pushed past soft lips with a warm touch that sent a shiver through her. It was scary for Skillet to see the woman that had occupied her mind in a match of wits with a man that had tried to raise her to the best of his abilities. A man she had gone against and almost killed completely against her will thanks to the woman that watched him with a wicker smile. She knew that she couldn't even try figthing with Asadria right now, even if she wasn't so rightened at the moment. Asadria allowed a soft laugh to break Skillet away from her deep thoughts, "Suave, don't worry. Asadrion will have pleanty of fun with you angel."  
  
"Asadria, don't make me warn you again. You saw my thoughts with that damn stone you stole from me... You know me now. You know what I'd do to you if your harmed Falean," he said softly, a pleading look settling into his eyes. If Falean was harmed, he knew he would probably lose all his composure and that was something he certainly couldn't risk doing, but once again all of this was something Asadria knew. She patted her elegant left hand against his cheek before moving her hand back to her side. He released her hand, but still held her right wrist, her hand remaining upon his cheek. She didn't do such a motion to comfort Suave, of course, but she enjoyed teasing him with a dangling string of hope. He shook his head carefully, "Leave, Asadria. Escape this place and leave these people be."  
  
"Suave, don't be silly. Obviously I came here for a reason so why would you think I'd leave before I'd done what I wanted to do?" she asked with a gentle smile, pulling her wrist from her tight grasp. He allowed his gaze to follow her hand for a moment or so before turning his gaze back to her eyes. A figure that had been completely silent and unknown until now made his presence known. Asadrion's long silver hair swept over the back of his loose black shirt and dipped in front of his beautiful eyes. Asadria turned to him, her smile growing but in a more pleased fashion now. He returned the smile with one revealing his glistening white teeth and moved closer to Asadria, coming to stand beside her as she spoke, "Brother dear, did you get the job completed already?"  
  
"She could put up no struggle... Besides, with me there, why would she want to try?" he asked, elicting another laugh from Asadria. Suave watched the two, the evil brother and sister which seemed to be a classis duo. Asadria brought her arms carefully about herself, watching the horrified look that seeped into Skillet's eyes, her body trembling more so now. She knew the Asadria watched her patiently, waiting for a shriek or for her to collapse trembling upon the ground. Skillet began to fear that she soon would. A sickness grew in the confines of her warm skin, but not a sickness that would harm her. It was the feeling on gathered after becoming sickened by the sight of vomit, or anything else that could make anyone nauseous. She broguth her hand to touch softly to her lips to stifle a soft gasp. She had found an image forming above them, but now it came into view for all of them to see. Asadria didn't have to look up to know what it was that Skillet saw above them and she grew satisfied as Skillet's scream pierced the air and she fell to her knees, pointing up at the object.  
  
"Skillet," Suave shouted and pushed past Asadria to run over to the fallen girl. He placed his hands upon her shoulder after kneeling, his gaze watching her eyes, scanning them for a clue. She turned her gaze to him, her mouth forming a silent word directing him to look up before her gazed returned to the aread. He stood slowly, a wave of fear washing over him as he began to wonder what he may find. Slowly, he turned to Asadria and her brother, watching them watch him with pure intrique in their eyes and a bright smile upon their faces. The clouds swept over the moon as he turned his gaze up to find a dark figure held up by a few poles. Suddenly, the clouds opened to shine bright moonlight over the land and the image Suave watched, showing him what it was, "Falean."  
  
"Don't you just love her pose?" Asadria asked, but her words went straight through Suave for he couldn't even try to listen to her now. Falean was held up against the wall with long wooden spikes, sharpened at the ends and now strained maroon with her blood. Her head was fallen to the side, her eyes both wide and blank staring down on Suave, something he had seen from her once before. The red brick building seemed to grow darker as Falean's blood flowed along it, caused by the series of spikes that held her in place. Suave's eyes grew dark and cold as he watched the building with a constant gaze, watching Falean's torn clothing flap in the breeze, her hands moving loosely from side to side, depending which way the wind went. Finally, Suave lowered his gaze to Asadria and Asadrion, but they only returned his cold gaze with taunting smiles. Skillet watched Suave's reactions and wondered what he might do to the duo, ready to hold him back. She knew just as well as he did, when he was thinking straight, that right now attacking Asadria would be completely out of the question. She also knew that Suave probably had no sense at all right now after seeing Falean and what Asadria had done. Asadria took a step closer to Suave and allowed a soft laugh to pass her lips, but he granted no response, "If it makes you feel any better, Suave, Falean screamed your name even while she was impaled upon Asadrion before being spiked to the wall."  
  
"You bitch," Suave shrieked, completely losing his composure in a flurry of words, thoughts, and images that spun through his tormented mind. Asadria had been planning on such a reaction for she even tried drawing it out of him, even if she'd get more than expected. She decided to play a little disappearing act to keep him from catching her, but the moment she came into view twelve feet away, she found herself gazing into a stone-like gaze plagued with fury beyond comparison. She screamed in sudden surprise of him keeping up with her movements so adequately. She was so surprised in fact that she barely noticed as he brought his hands towards her shoulder, but he didn't even have to touch her for the anger that surged around him sent her flying back ten feet before crashing into a brick wall. She let out a groan of pain, but had no time to retaliate of react, finding Suave had jumped forth and placed his hands upon her shoulders, pulling her close before slamming her into the wall once again. His power rattled her frame as he continued to press her against the wall, hoping to make Asadria disappear forever in the chips of red brick that was torn from the wall and now twirled around them. She continued to scream, both fear and anger rising with each shriek that was emitted from her throat.  
  
"Suave, stop," Skillet screamed, quickly jumping to her feet as she began running over toward him and pausing in her steps as Asadrion jumped in front of her. He was almost completely sure that his sister could handle Suave on her own, but she didn't need Skillet getting in her way. Since his back was facing Suave and a struggling Asadria, he didn't notice that Suave had curled his hands tightly around her throat. Skillet was prepared to destroy Asadrion to get to Asadria and Suave, taking a step closer to him before suddenly stopping. She brought her hands to her throat, curling her fingers as though trying to pull at invisible hands, just like Asadria was now doing to Suave's hands, who only responded in tightening his grasp. Skillet tried gasping for air, trying her best to let out a tired scream in the same moment Asadria did, the two soft voices travling into the air. Asadrion spun around quickly, his silver hair swaying with the motion, his gaze falling upon Asadria. He want running toward the two instantly to answer Asadria's plees, but Suave's power that still raged around his caught Asadrion off guard and sent him flying into the wall of the building across from the one that Asadria was against. Asadrion slammed hard against the wall before slumping over to the side, the fear growing in Asadria's eyes to Suave's satisfaction. As Skillet continued to gasp for air, she stared at the image of Falean, watching with wondering eyes as the image flicked. It could have just been the light or her eyes playing tricks on her, but she began to think Falean wasn't really harmed and that it was just an illusion set by Asadria's magic.  
  
"Suave, don't be a fool," Asadria tried her best to say past the pain of almost being drilled into the wall by Suave and the noise his enraged power created. She turned her gaze to Skillet as Suave laughed at her remark, his mind far past reasoning now that he had the power over Asadria. Asadria watched as Skillet fell toher knees, continuing to grasp at her neck, staring at Asadria with almost a pleading gaze that even she could understand right now. She would say what she had to so that she could save herself, though, even if it'd be helping Skillet at the same time. She knew well that Suave had raised Skillet since she was a child and that he valued her as one of his closest friends, so it would be expected for him to try and save her when she was in need. He was watching Asadria's gaze still with a cruel gaze as she stared back at him, calming herself enough to speak loud enough for him to head her, "You're killing Skillet, Suave."  
  
"What?" he whispered through gritted teeth, not completely realizing what it was she had said to him. Instead he began to slide her up against the wall as he pressed he harder against it before the anger in his eyes faded completely and his gaze seemed to soften. He released Asadria instantly and she slid to the floor, rubbing her neck gently before turning her gaze back to him, but his was now making his way over to Skillet. He knelt beside her and watched her with worriedeyes, but she smiled to him to prove that she was better now, taking a few deep breaths, "You're all right?"  
  
"I'm fine, I just need to catch my breath, that's all," she said gently with the moonlight gleaming softly deep in her eyes. He allowed a gently smile to be captured upon his lips as he stood up, watching as she soon did the same. He was calm now, still worried about Falea as much as before, but the burst of his anger had passed him now. He was just glad he hadn't destroyed Asadria just then, for the damage could have proved to be irrvocable. She looked past Suave, watching as Asadria suddenly jumped up behind him, Suave watching in the same moment that Asadrion came walking up quickly behind Skillet, neither one aware. Suave was caught off guard as Asadria took a string created with her magic to bring it about his neck, pulling him back roughly. Skillet started to dart forward when Asadrion grabbed her shoulder and twirled her about to face him, prepared to rip the stone that hung elegantly on a chain around her neck away. It seemed much as though the devious duo had come to stike the two down and Skillet fear she couldn't fight back against Asadrion. She struggled anyway, for it was normal instinct that anyone would have. Asadrion allowed his grin to grow as she searched his eyes carefully, "Why do you want the stone, Asadrion?"  
  
"Why wouldn't I want the stone, Skillet? Think of all the power it gives you and answer me then," he said very simply before he began reaching for the stone, his fingers almost grazing it before he was jutted roughly to the side. In a fury of black fabric, being the material of a cloak, Asadrion was slammed in the back of the head with the hilt of a sword before dropping to the ground, his eyes coming to a soft close. Asadria let out an angry yell, dropping Suave after releasing the string of magic, the power fading back into her. She ran over to Asadrion, her gaze quickly moving to Skillet with a look in her eyes of pure anger, nudging Asadrion in the side with her foot to awake him. The cloaked figure walked towards Skillet, a soft wind pushing back the hood to the cloak to reveal who the person was to Skillet. She blinked a few times, her smile growing a bit more as Asadrion awoke to turn his gaze to Skillet's protector, "You again?"  
  
"Saedyn," Skillet said, a bright happiness clear in her voice as she wan over to him, bringing her arms tightly about his waidt, her energy suddenly restored. He placed his arms about her, lifting her up to spin her gently, but quickly before setting her back upon the ground. He brought his right hand to brush gently behind her ear, tucking back a few strands behind her ear before bringing his arm bacl about her waist. She didn't know completely why he was so cheerful, but she was certainly happy to see him, especially just in time to save her, "How did you know?"  
  
"This isn't over, Skillet. My brother and I will destroy you and now Suave. We'll get that stone," Asadria called to them before Saedyn could respond to Skillet's question. With a dark look of anger, Asadria setpped into the portal befo being followed by Asadrion, the portal swirling once morebefore fading. Skillet stared after the two with a confused gaze, a worried look resting in Suave's eyes.  
  
"What do we do now?" Saedyn asked softly, gracing them with his soothing voice as he released Skillet. Suave continued to stare up towards the area where the portal was, then looking back to where Falean had been to find her gone. A confused look settles in his eyes before he lowered his gaze back to Skillet and Saedyn. Skillet walked to stand between the two of them to be sure they were both listening to her as she spoke.  
  
"We leave soon as possibl. Not just this land, but this time as well. If we get far away, we'll have enough time to develop a plan before they'll be able to find us again," she said, speaking softly to try to keep anyone but them from hearing. Suave gave a careful nod of agreement, knowing that they could easily travel with the help of the stone. Silently, the children Sei-fuu and Butterfly stepped up beside Skillet and Suave allowed his smile to grow, knowing they could definitely help with travel. Saedyn stepped closer to Skillet, bringing his arms carefully about her waist as the stone around her neck began to glow brightly, "Ready?" 


	19. The Red Headed Duo

Can you believe I finally... FINALLY... updated? Amazing, isn't it? I wonder if I even have any fans left out there. XD Ah well... if I do, even if it's just one fan, I hope you enjoy this new installment. Let me know what you think!

Kai raced down the street, her feet pounding hard upon the ground as her ebony cape billowed around her slim form. She could hear her heart pumping within her head, throbbing against both her skill and chest. The nagging paranoid pulsing through her veins forced her to glance over her shoulder to search for the man pursuing her. The sight that filtered into her silver orbs caused her to nearly stop dead in her tracks.

Of course, the thought of stopping on her own terms would have been preferred to crashing against a hard male chest. She tried to stay silent, adamant not to fill his wish for her screams. However, her body quivered and her throat burned against her protest, causing her to shriek. His arm surrounded her lithe waist, holding her in place against her will. His hands moved and her eyes squeezed tight as the unbearable feelings were torn relentlessly and unforgiving across her body.

"Gotcha," the man breathed upon her neck, sending hot tingles that traveled up and down her spine, distracting only momentarily from the feelings he was sending across her skin. She squirmed hard against his body, trying to escape but to no avail. Finally, her reaction pushed past her lips and betrayed her silent resolve and she burst into a fit of laughter.

"Caius!" she gasped sharply for a breath of air before being swallowed up by laughter once again. The two red heads struggled for victory within this seemingly unstoppable tickle fight. He grinned ruefully, finally releasing her from his clutches. She turned to face him, her breath still coming in slightly jerky breaths as she watched him. He was quite possibly one of the most attractive men she had ever seen - matured much unlike his personality. His hair was a honey shade of red, cropped in a messy fashion that allowed his bangs to drape in front of his chestnut eyes – much unlike her dark, long crimson hair that flowed as fluidly as her motions. Her eyes narrowed at him, how such a handsome man could be so childish is something she would never understand, "Apparently you're in a cheerful mood."

"Oh come now, my dear berry," he cooed and she flinched at the name. She had grown to hate it, the nickname, as a child growing up, but Caius adored it and used it in an excess of affection. For a couple of lovers, they could easily be mistaken for siblings and often were.

"Come nothing, Caius," she retorted, unable to disguise the hint of a smile that crossed her lips, "It's not even noon and you've already exhausted me."

"As if you have anything to be fit for, berry." Once again, the nickname flowed into the conversation and she brushed it off with a smirk. Caius was very unaware of the business that awaited them on this fine day, as she had expected he would be. She had only just been informed the night before and had not encountered a moment to speak to Caius since.

"As a matter of fact, love," she put emphasis on this last word, slipping her arm casually around his waist to guide him, "We both have to be in the best of shape today. Lord Deycon has informed me of a certain group of uninvited guests that are not only alien to this land, but alien to this time as well."

"Time travelers?" Caius's eyes had widened at the thought. Indeed, Kai had been surprised to hear of the news, only more so when she realized how they had done it.

"They're not time travelers per say…" she muttered, her gaze scanning the area for any possible eavesdroppers before she continued, "We were able to track them specifically because it was unlike any other source we've ever seen. Supposedly they used the stone."

"What?" Caius stopped dead in his tracks at this revelation, staring into Kai's eyes for a hint of betrayal to her words, but found none. "Do you realize what you're insinuating? The stone is gone… for all we know; it's no longer in existence. That stone is nothing but an old wives tale."

"I know, Caius… I know," she whispered, still mulling over the facts within her own mind, "But every piece of information they collected on these travelers hints towards its use. Their travel was too quick and too powerful, highly irregular from any normal form."

"Perhaps their simply black market travelers?" Caius offered with a shrug, sweeping his arm around her waist to continue their journey.

"Highly unlikely. They're irregular in their _lack_ of efficiency… not excessive," she explained, drawing a sharp intake of air at the thought. Caius and herself had been involved in Lord Deycon's empire since they were old enough to work. They handled all cases of misdemeanors, stemming specifically from immigrants to their world. Lord Deycon enjoyed a quiet community with well bred citizen's and exercised no tolerance for any prospective citizens that would need to learn the rules of his world. Typically, they dealt with the lowest of the low and people simply looking for a way out of their miserable lives – it was hardly ever that they encountered an intelligent traveler.

"Great, so we get to endure a couple of smart asses, they're the best kind," Caius commented with the most devilish of smirks. If there was ever a man that was in love with his career, it was indeed Caius. The fitting image of a military man, he was both strong and deadly - not to mention surprisingly smart. "So, where are they trouble makers located?"

"They should have arrived approximately four hours ago, so we are already as late as can be," she said whilst hailing a cab. The sleek white automobile slid to a stop in front of her, the doors sliding open automatically in greeting. "They will be in the outer region of Thean, most likely still unconscious."

"They always are when we find them. I tell you, berry, time travel is still so insufficient. These people don't wake up for a good twelve hours after arrival – making me sit around for ages," he muttered, guiding her into the cab before entering himself and speaking briefly to the cab driving, "The outer rim of Thean, please."

"The outer rim? Hardly anyone goes there anymore, sir… rundown, that area is," the cab driver responded, flicking a few buttons to ready their tab.

"Then bring us as close as you can," Kai spoke kindly, setting a hand upon Caius's chest to keep him in place. A cocky man, Caius was more than apt to flaunt the fact that he was one of the top underlings to Lord Deycon. She turned to Caius with a soft smile, but stayed silent throughout the ride – as arrogant as he may be, Caius was smart enough to steer away from business discussion in front of commoners.

Kai stared silently out of the window, watching the metallic and glass structures that rose high into the skyline. Many cars and cabs zoomed by across from them, all hovering inches off of the ground. Blessed an empire this was to expel such undesirable things like tires. She could understand the dream to be apart of Lord Deycon's land, despite its leader. The air was as fresh and clean, as it must have been on that first day in Eden. The city was white metal and clear glass, outlining the lush green trees that centered around every building. Cytec was certainly the land of dreams.

Of course, Lord Deycon was not the man of everyone's dreams. He was a harsh and cold leader, if you chose to disobey him in any fashion. He ruled over Cytec and his underlings with an iron fist and never in a manner that earned him respect or popularity. Hell, Kai even despised Lord Deycon, as did Caius – but their lives within Cytec were too enjoyable to destroy over a mere dislike.

"This is as close as I can bring you," the driver advised them, jutting Kai from her thoughts. The doors slid open as smoothly as they had before and Caius and herself left after paying the wage. With a snap, the doors to the car closed and the driver returned to the clear streets of midday, speeding off in hopes of his next customer.

"Ah, damn him," muttered Caius, looking across the expanse of land that they had yet to travel. Kai had to admit, there was hardly any journey left at all, "The old man complains about half a mile or so? The outer rims cannot be that bad."

"Haven't been here in a while, have you?" Kai stated, perking a slender brow. The outer rim was a considerable change to inner Cytec. The air was denser, laden with dust and remnants of a different time. The buildings had not retained their white complexions and most had been abandoned. The time travelers had the best entry into Cytec through the outer rim with no observers to catch their arrival.

The two lovers strode down the grassy expansion that had long since conquered the road that had once been prominent in this area. They searched for signs of life, whether moving or lying upon the ground in a trance like state. However, they never found the time travelers they had come searching for. No – it was indeed the time travelers that found them.

"Suave…" Skillet whispered, her throat burning in the attempt to keep her voice as low as possible, "Who are these people and where are we?"

"I must say, this place does not strike me as a welcoming community," Suave muttered in return, his attentions sweeping the scene that lay ahead of them. Two red heads were searching the area as though they were looking for a missing child – checking everywhere imaginable, no matter how absurd. It was a wonder that they hadn't stumbled upon them by accident yet.

"Skillet, did you have a destination in your mind when you took us with you?" Saedyn asked, lying a comforting handing upon her shivering shoulders. She was overwhelmed with the experience of traveling through time and the sudden appearance of Asadria. It was as though half her body was missing from her, the second voice that had been inside her head was finally gone.

"No… all I could think about was escaping that area," she whispered, her hands enclosed around the stone that hung at the end of the chain about her neck. She closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing heart. Who were these people and what did they want from them?

"I suppose it's just as well," Suave commented, his attentions still focused primarily upon the two searching the perimeter. "If you had a specific destination in mind, Asadria would have indeed sensed it. Perhaps now she will have a difficult time finding us. Much like these fools are now."

"How do you know they're looking for us?" Saedyn inquired, now watching the pair as well, "They could be looking for something else… it's quite possible that nobody knows we are here."

"Quite impossible, actually," Suave corrected him, turning to facing the shuddering Skillet. His gaze softened at her shaken state, trying to offer some sort of comfort through his expression; "I heard them talking about travelers… I suppose that it is best that we reveal ourselves and discover their intentions rather than be caught from behind."

Skillet could only nod in agreement to Suave's notion, sinking back instinctively into Saedyn's unrelenting care. Suave watched her for a moment more, offering her a nod before he stepped into clear view of the two investigators. They hardly noticed him, too involved in weeding through the glass wreckage of a building to immediately notice his presence. The man was the first to lay his eyes upon Suave.

"Well, well, well… Look what we have here, berry. A couple of travelers, wide awake… that's surprising, isn't it?" He advanced forward rather slowly, attempting to be as non-threatening as he could manage. Kai was at his side now, a piece of glass still held thoughtlessly within her grasp. Caius gestured for the others to reveal themselves, hidden within the shadow that part of the wreckage had cast. "Come on out… I can see you're there. Why not come stand by your friend?"

Saedyn and Skillet stared at each other for a long moment, a look of fear clearly apparent deep within Skillet's eyes. Saedyn squeezed her shoulder softly in support, leading her forward into the bright sunlight of midday. They stopped at Suave's side and the two men stared back defiantly at Caius. Slowly, unsure of herself, Skillet raised her gaze to the unknown man and the woman who stood at his side. The woman stared back at her with wide silver orbs, her mouth slack in a state of shock. The glass slipped from her hands, carrying a light stream of blood with it as it shattered into pieces upon the ground. The air surrounding them became utterly silent, broken only by Kai who finally found the courage to speak, "Mother?"


	20. On The Run

Sorry this new chapter is very short... hopefully the other chapters will be longer. Enjoy, either way!

---

All eyes flew to Skillet, her face void of any known expression aside from utter confusion. Her brow furrowed, her eyes grasping to understand the sight held in front of her... a daughter she did not know. The woman that stood in front of her was fashioned with a head of beautiful red hair... much unlike her white hair and Saedyn's black. Skillet took a step towards the girl, feeling the tremors as each part of her body shook, "You can't be my daughter... you must be mistaken."

Kai's shock turned to a soft smile as she reached out and placed a hand upon Skillet's cheek, "But I am..." a tear slid down the side of her own cheek as she took a step closer to her mother, "I never thought I would be able to see you... you were gone when I was still just a baby. All I've seen of you are pictures, but I know it's you, mother."

Skillet opened her mouth to protest, but Kai paid no attention, already busy rummaging through her pockets to find the photo she kept with her at all times. It was tattered, yes... worn with age, but the image that she handed to Skillet might as well have been a mirror. Skillet's eyes widened as she stared at herself, not so much older than she was now, cradling a little girl in her arms... a little red headed girl. "How is this possible..."

All other words were stifled from Skillet's lip as Kai flew into her arms, embracing her mother tightly after a lifetime without her. Skillet stared down at her newfound daughter, her arms slowly wrapping around her waist when her mind came back to reality. Reality... where she was being chased by a crazy sorceress, possessed the power of the stone and had a daughter she never even knew of. Sometimes she thought her dreams were more realistic than her own life.

"Kai?" Caius whispered, placing a hand upon her shoulder and jolting her back to reality. She turned to face him, her eyes still watery with tears, "I know what a shocking and amazing moment this is for you, but... There is the pressing matter that we have to bring these three to Lord Deycon."

"What, are you mad?" Kai shouted, whirling out of her mother's arms to face Caius. He held up his hands in defense, falling back a few paces, "Lord Deycon will kill them once he studies them! You're not going to turn my family into a load of dead lab rats!"

"With all due respect, Kai, we'll all be turned into dead lab rats if we don't take them there," Kai opened her mouth to shout again, but Caius silenced her with a wave of his hand, "Or have you not thought of that, yet? Kai, how long have we worked for him? Be serious! You think it will take him more than an hour to realize something is wrong?"

Kai stood silent for a moment, her gaze dropping to the ground and her brow furrowing in concentration. Caius was right... it was only a matter of time before Lord Deycon realized their whereabouts and exactly what they were up to. Hell, Lord Deycon had a tracking and communication device tagged to all of his elites... Kai's eyes flew to the device strapped to her wrist, realization hitting her like a brick wall. "Shit!" she unhooked the device as quickly as she could, knowing full and well of the alarm system as well as the fact that she could not risk to be tracked, "He knows already, Caius!"

"The communication devices... he heard everything just now..." Caius whispered, catching onto Kai's sudden fear. He quickly began to unhook his own device and the two red heads threw the wristbands to the ground... met with a screaming alarm. Skillet winced, shoving her hands over her ears in unison with the others. Caius gasped against the sound and grabbed Skillet by the waist, ushering her with him, "We have to get the hell out of here!"

Skillet could hardly think over the shrilling alarm, but nodded to Caius and followed his lead. The group of five raced across the landscape as fast as their legs could carry them, lacking in any known destination besides the arbitrary thought of 'away.' Skillet felt her lungs burn against the sudden and constant movement and yet she quickly found air again when beams of light began to flash behind her. "Damn it!" she heard Kai scream as she raced along side of them, "They're too fast! They shouldn't have been this fast!"

"He probably sent them before the alarm!" Caius screamed over the sirens and alarms. He could hear his own ragged breath match everyone else and peeled to the side behind a pile of refuse. They stumbled to the, their mouth gaping and grasping at any air that would oblige. "We're not safe here."

"No, ya think?" Suave spat, glaring at Caius... if it weren't for these two, they wouldn't be in this mess. They already had enough to worry about with Asadria tracking them down, but now they were being chased by police of a world they had just moments ago entered. "You couldn't have thought about that little wristwatch sooner? You wear the damn device every day and you forget that it records what you say?"

"Back off! We had no idea who the hell you were, let alone Kai's relatives! He probably sent his crew out here as soon as he got that shred of information!" Caius shouted back, staring down at Suave.

"And you just had to call the other two out, didn't you? You couldn't have just spoke with me? It's your fault we're even in this mess!" Suave shouted, jumping to his feet. The girls stood back, watching the two men scream as the sirens drew closer. Saedyn sighed, already concluding this one would be a losing battle...

"Like I made you come out in the first place... you're the one who revealed yourself! You didn't even have to come to this time anyway – we're just doing our job!" Caius yelled back, shoving Suave back against the wall of trash that stood behind him.

"Would you both just shut the hell up!" Kai screamed, grabbing Caius by the shoulders to hold him back. When the fires of their anger seemed to give way, she stepped to the side, glancing a peak at the approaching danger. "We have to find a way out of here as quickly and quietly as possible... the last thing we need is a brawl. Now if you are both ready to act like mature adults, we can begin figuring out some sort of plan."

"A plan?" Caius shouted with a laugh. Kai perked a brow at his raised tone, although she knew that anger was still boiling through him. Caius gestured wildly over his shoulder to the sounds of the foreboding sirens. "Kai, have you forgotten everything? Everything you've ever learned? Everything you've ever done?"

Kai took note of the emphasis he placed on the last word and winced, praying that her mother wouldn't notice... she did not need her to pry into her past "accomplishments." Caius continued on, furious and panicked, "We worked for them! It'll be a piece of cake to track down a group of travelers... we won't even know what hit us. We were one of them!"

"Exactly," Skillet whispered. Confused gazes flew to her at this simple comment. Kai stared at her mother knowingly, assured that she had caught onto the edge on the competition, "You are one of them. You know all their tricks and the roads they'll take to get to us."

"Yes, any and all roads available!" Caius continued on, dismissing this critical information, "And if there aren't any, they'll make some more!"

"Then take us somewhere else, Caius," Saedyn said, staring fearfully into the distance. They were close now... They had very little time to get away. "Somewhere safe. Somewhere they wouldn't expect."

"Damn it!" Caius screamed, "Don't you understand? How do you think we found you? Kai and I can hide away from all of this, sure... but you don't belong. You're not one of us! You're emitting frequencies that are tracked easily and instantly and no matter what you-..."

"Caius!" Kai grabbed the device around her belt and pointed into the air. Immediately, they were covered in a dark mist of purple that shielded them from view, "Frequency disrupter. It's worth a shot. Won't last long and we only have one other, but... The tunnels."

"The tunnels?" Caius muttered, confusion and understanding seeming to collide at once on his face, "The tunnels... they're hardly ever used. They're so old, but so... So powerful. Nothing can penetrate them."

"Not even a frequency. If we get them under there before they can find us, we can get them out of here. The tunnels are long and complex... enough to take us out of here and far away from this city." Kai looked at him through the mist and knew that she had uncovered the perfect plan.

"You're right..." Caius grabbed Skillet's wrist and began to run, "You grab one of the others... Have them follow. Stay as close to me as you can. I will use the last disrupter if I have to, but until then just move as quickly as you can. Do not lose sight of me."

"SURRENDER IN THE NAME OF LORD DEYCON!" The chilling voice rang out over the sirens. The fog was clearing, but they were already on the run. As they ran, they could hear the screeching of tires and the angry shouts of, "They're off the map! The travelers are off the map!"

"It's working..." Sauve muttered in amazement as he was pulled along by Kai. They could see the tunnels in the distance... they could taste the freedom that they would provide. It wouldn't be long now until they were on the run for more freedom.

But what would ever keep them hidden from Asadria?


End file.
